Persona: The Chaotic World
by The Gaming Geek Gina
Summary: Layla Mitchell is a normal girl until she receives an invitation to the prestigious Velvet Academy. As soon as she arrives,it seems both the school and the world are changing,falling into a state of chaos. Wielding her newfound abilities at the side of her new friends can she save the academy from falling into the abyss or are they fated to succumb to their fears?*No more OCs*
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, I got Persona fever! Ever since P5 came out I've been brainstorming ideas for a story but reading Northern Knight's story Royal it finally hit me (Its a good story so far). I want to give an OC Persona story a try. I'll be accepting OCs through PM but I'll go more in detail at the end. Let's give this a go!**

 _Tick..._

 _Tick..._

 _Tick..._

Layla looks up at the clock again. Still five minutes left in class. Class was droning on as usual but she was eager to go to the mall afterschool. They were having a sale today and adding her employee discount to that would be an amazing bargain.

"Layla Mitchell! Have you been listening at all!?"

Her head snaps back to the front of the room. Mrs. Crabapple glared down at me, impatiently tapping on her desk. Her horrid nails clanked and clanked, growing louder within her ears. Her frizzy hair seemed to grow frizzier by the second.

Layla gave her a quick nod.

The woman frowned at the airheaded blonde. She quickly chalked down a problem on the board, holding out her white chalk towards Layla. Her face visibly paled much to Mrs. Crabapple's delight.

"Please show the class-"

 _RING!_

All the students-including Layla- promptly abandoned the room, leaving Mrs. Crabapple to scowl in annoyance.

Layla sighed in relief as she collected her belongings from her locker. Her classmate chattered excitedly around her. They all walked past her without a second glance. This was normal to Layla by now. By the time she reached the front gates, it had started to drizzle.

The girl held her hand out, testing the water. She had forgotten her umbrella at home that day, but the rain didn't seem very hard. At least it didn't at first. Halfway during her run, the light drizzle became torrent rain pelting down on her skin. Her shoes became soggy as she splashed through puddles. Her clothes clung to her body.

 _'This can't get any worse.'_ She thought miserably.

A horn blared in her ears. Following it was a wave of muddy water, soaking the already drenched girl.

With a growl, she staggers home. Down the flooded alleyways, through the muddy fields, and under the leaking tree. She pushed the key through the old wooden door.

"I'm back." She yelled.

No one answered her. She assumed they all were out still. The soaked girl kicked off her muddy shoes as she wrung out her mane of blonde hair.

Layla then escaped to her room to peel off her soaked uniform. The front door scratched the old worn floors.

"Layla!"

"Yes Portia?"

"Layla!"

"YES PORTIA?"

"There's a letter for you!"

"Can you bring it up to me?"

"What?"

"CAN YOU BRING IT UP TO ME!?"

"Alright alright! You shouldn't yell at the elderly."

Once her foster mother slid the letter through the door crack, Layla took it with her to the bath. She loved the old woman to bits but her hearing was starting to go.

 _'It won't be long til I move again."_

Once the water grew hot she settled into the bath.

"Ahhh... so warm..."

She closed her eyes, letting the warmth enclose her body. A relaxed sigh escaped her lips. When she reopened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the letter. Looking at it closer now, the envelope certainly did look strange. Instead of a white or orange envelope, it was a menacing black.

"Is it a threat or something?" She wondered aloud.

Her mind was giving off red lights but her heart yearned for it.

She rose from the tub and dried her body. She hesitantly picked up the letter.

 _Layla Mitchell_ was written in fancy script.

Tearing the top off, she removed the letter contents from it: the letter itself, a chain, and a slip of paper. The placed the contents on her bed. She gazed at the objects nervously.

 _Go on._

Layla whipped around but no one was there.

 _It won't harm you._

The voice echoed around her. She peered through her window, but the alley was empty. It was strange, and yet she trusted the voice. It was kind and strangely soothing. She picked up the letter.

 _Dear Layla,_

 _You have entered our field of interest. You fill the necessary criteria we request. You are cordially invited to attend Velvet Academy. If you wish to attend, please sign the contract._

"Contract?"

The other slip of paper rested on her sheets.

 _This contract is for you. If you wish to attend, you must take full responsibility for your actions._

"Responsibility?"

The contract beckoned to her silently. Without a second thought, a pen was in her hands and her signature scribbled across the parchment.

 _Very good. Within the next few days, you will be escorted to our academy. We dutifully await your arrival, my guest._

Layla blinked.

The contract was gone.

"Where did it...?" She frantically looked around the bed and floor.

"Layla!"

"COMING PORTIA!"

Throwing on shorts and a tank, she scrambled out the door, abandoning the letter and chain

The rain continued to pelt the window, but the blue butterfly flew without any problem.

The Velvet Academy is prestigious academy but holds much mystery.

Located on its own island, off the coast of Japan, they hardly get unwanted or unusual guests. The island is an exclusive place after all.

No one can enter uninvited, and even if you are there is not a guarantee that you will last.

Times are changing.

And thus the world is as well.

Only a few bare witness to what is happening to our world. And it's up to them to decide its' fate.

Layla is only but one of the few that can and will see these changes.

Who else will follow it's call?

 _Only time may tell._

Welcome to Velvet Academy.

 **I hope so far this has captured your interest. The Persona series is quite mysterious but really cool. Anyway, I'd love it if you guys could offer any OCs to the story. The max amount of characters I need are 8, excluding Layla (so 9 total). To become an OC within this story please fill out the following form and send it to me through PM (NOT REVIEW).(8/9 characters are open)**

Name: (Feel free to be creative but send pronunciation if it's not obvious)

Age: (15-18)

Gender: (Please keep it between male and female)

Year: (1,2, or 3)

Personality: (Be descriptive! At least a paragraph, and be sure to make it relate to their Arcana and include struggles within themselves.

History: (Their life up until this point, be descriptive!)

Appearance: (Descriptive appearances, and keep them realistic please. So no crazy colors unless they dyed their hair but nothing like dying it pink or stuff like that.)

Persona: (Has to be a character from a video game besides the Persona series, make sure they relate to your character!)

Stats: (What their Persona is weak to, and what kind of skills do they specialize in. For example, Layla uses Pierce attacks and ice skills.)

Weapon: (Every character has some form of weapon to use melee attacks. Layla will use a spear. First weapon choice and and a second preference because we don't want weapon replicas)

Arcana: (Make sure this relates to the personality.)

Social Link: (What does the Social Link between Layla and your character have? You try to give a basic idea for the social link)

Stage: (An area that is formed from the hidden insecurities of people. They form as a full world like P4 and P5 (but without the whole social justice thing). This is how your character will get a Persona and become a main character, so include what the stage will look like, their Shadow, hidden secrets and etc. All Personas are summoned through a chain. It'll be explained later.)

 **No more space guys! Thank you all who sent in OC forms, it's greatly appreciated. Look forward to a new chapter soon. Have a nice day!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok guys, we're officially starting this OC Persona adventure. I hope you enjoy!**

 **I don't own the Persona series.**

The water sparkled vibrantly as the boat skipped across the waves. Layla could barely contain her excitement. She stuck her head out over the deck railing, allowing the water to grace her face and hair.

"Woohoo! This is amazing!"

"Please refrain from conducting yourself in such a way."

Layla turned to the elegant lady with a book approaching her. She had platinum-blonde hair, pale skin, golden eyes, and is dressed entirely in dark blue with matching high heel shoes with black and golden accessories.

"Oh sorry! I'm just so excited."

The woman only nodded at her.

"I came to tell you we are almost at our destination. Please put this on."

She thrusts a brown box into her hands. Inside the box was a uniform.

"You may go change in the bathrooms on the lower floor." She says before turning away.

"Oh thank you um..."

"Margaret. I am one of the attendants within Velvet Academy."

"Oh, thank you."

Margaret nodded before disappearing off the deck.

 _'What a strange woman, but she was so pretty!'_

She quickly descended down to the bathroom. Once inside, she examined her given uniform. Inside was a dark blue blazer with black buttons. On the breast pocker was presumably the school emblem, a black and white mask inside a circle. There was a black skirt, black knee socks, and Oxford shoes in -you guessed it- black. As she dressed, she stopped and stared at her wrist.

Ever since she signed the contract to attend the academy, she found herself unable to remove the silver chain. Once she had put it on, it refused to unlatch. She was tempted to ask Portia but feared that her foster mother would question it, or go to drastic measures to remove it.

She buttoned up her blazer and smiled at herself in the mirror.

"Looks good." She mumbled as she posed and turned, observing her reflection.

Layla left the room changed, only to come face to face with Margaret.

"Woah!"

"I see you have changed. Do you plan on keeping that headband on?"

Margaret's eyes stared at her head. The headband in question was black with green diamond decals.

"Yeah. It's special to me."

Amber eyes gazed into green. She smiled and nodded.

"Very well. Follow me."

Layla proceeded to follow her up to the deck.

A large castle-like building stood in the distance. It was both alluring and mysterious. As the boat drew closer, she couldn't help but feel a sort of calling.

 _Can you hear me?_

Something flashed in her eyes. She clutched her head and struggled to stand. She managed to compose herself before Margaret noticed. The boat marooned and the two exited.

Margaret led her up to the door and extended her arm outwards with a bow.

"Welcome to Velvet Academy."

The doors opened to a flurry of students walking through the halls. Some were stopped at corners, talking and laughing.

 _'No matter how prestigious it is, it's still a school._

"Please follow me."

Margaret swiftly turned and walked down the corridor. Layla hurried ran after her. Margaret seemed not to be fazed by the throng of students as she effortlessly made her way through the crowd.

"W-wait for me!" Layla said as she struggled to keep up.

As she pushed and shoved her way through the busy crowds her nose crashed into whoever was ahead of her.

"Ow... I'm sorry."

"I should say the same."

Looking up, her eyes locked with a tall brown haired boy. Her nose must've impacted with his chest.

"I'm so sorry for bumping into you." She said.

"It's fine, you looked like you were in a hurry."

"Yeah I was following-"

Layla peered over and saw Margaret had disappeared among the crowd. The boy seemed to notice her distress.

"Are you a new student?"

"Yeah, I was following her to somewhere."

"Probably to the office. Here, let me show you the way."

"Oh thank you."

The boy led her to the office, offering some small talk as went along.

"Here you are. This is the office." He said, stopping in front of a large blue door.

"Thanks for the help. I'm Kayla Mitchell, a second year."

"I see. My name is Nicholas Arkwright. See you around." He said with a small wave.

He walked off, leaving her alone in front of the office.

"I hope Margaret won't be mad."

Margaret indeed was not. She waited patiently inside for her. Once Layla came in, she immediately moved about her desk, picking up papers.

"This is your schedule, the school rules, your door keys, and school map. Any questions?"

"Um."

"Good."

Margaret sat down behind her desk and typed a message on her computer.

"A classmate from your homeroom will escort you to your classes for today. I will also send a dorm resident to show you there too."

"Thank you."

Margaret nodded and went about her work, leaving Layla to look around the office.

"It's not my fault! They started-"

"Shut it inmate!"

"Inmate?!"

"I meant student! One more word out of you and you'll get more than just detention!"

The student didn't answer, much to Layla's relief. When the door opened, a girl stormed past her.

"Good day Miss Ashley Wiltarrow." A small girl with a hat and braid said.

Her twin with buns frowned at Ashley's retreating form.

"What a troublemaker! Stupid inmate..." The bunhead grumbled.

"Caroline, you need to stop referring to students as inmates. Justine, please keep her in line." Margaret scolded.

 _'Wow they all could be siblings!'_

Before Caroline could retort, Justine prodded her back into the room, closing the door behind them.

"Those two are in charge of discipline. They are quite young but are full of potential." Margaret explains.

Layla nodded but the idea surprised her.

 _'Perhaps Japan allows kids to work?_

"Vice Principal, I'm here."

Layla turns and faces a boy who looked about her age.

"Right on time Mr. Nunes." Margaret says.

"Hey I'm Juan!"

The boy had white and black hair with goggles sitting snugly on his head. His blazer was unbuttoned and had his sleeves were slightly too long for his arms, along with black pants and sneakers.

"Layla, this is Juan Pedro Nunes. He is in your homeroom. Mr. Nunes, ensure she doesn't get lost today." Margaret explains.

Juan salutes Margaret, who only stares back. He leads her out of the office and released a breath of relief.

"Geez, I swear that woman can't laugh."

Layla giggled at him, prompting a smile onto his face.

"So you're the transfer student."

"Yeah, I'm Layla Mitchell. Nice to meet you."

"Same here."

As Juan gave her a quick tour of the building, he cracked jokes that brought a smile to her. By the time, he led her to their class, Layla felt closer to him.

"Here we are, Class 2-F. I hope you enjoyed your tour. Please come again." He grinned with an extravagant bow.

Layla giggled at his corniness.

"Thanks again Juan."

"What are friends for?"

Once her laughing ceased, Juan slid open the door. All the chatter completely stopped and all eyes were on them.

 _Geez. Why do kids always have to stare when someone enters the room?_ '

The teacher quickly sat up and looked at them.

"I assume you are Miss Layla, correct?"

"Yes that's me."

"I am Mrs. Haruka, welcome to Velvet Academy."

Mrs. Haruka held out her hand and Layla followed suit. The two firmly shook hands.

"Juan, take a seat. Layla, introduce yourself to the class. Don't say anything unnecessary." Mrs. Haruka said menacingly.

Juan frantically ran to his seat. Layla herself now felt nervous. Not only did the teacher freak her out, but none of the students had stopped staring.

"Layla, get on with it." Mrs. Haruka hissed quietly.

"H-hi! I'm Layla Mitchell from America. Nice to meet you all."

She topped it off with an awkward wave and a forced smile. No one made a sound.

 _This isn't going so well._

"Thank you. Please take a seat behind Elm Argua. Elm, raise your hand."

A dark haired boy raised his hand. She walked down the aisle and took her seat besides the window.

"Now let's continue on with our lesson."

Class was a big blur for Layla. She really did try to listen, but everyone around her began whispering about what she assumed was herself. She hated being in the center of attention. Being a transfer student was a huge pain. The bell pardoned her thoughts. Like everyone else, she stood and gathered her belongings. Now that class was over for the day, she had to find her dorm.

"Hey Layla."

She turned and was relieved to see Juan run up to her.

"What's up? Got any after school plans?"

"Actually yes. I have to go speak to Margaret about my dorm situation."

"Oh right. You need help getting to the office?"

She shook her head.

"I think I can handle it."

Juan chuckled with a nod.

"Alright. See you tomorrow."

Watching him leave, Layla couldn't help but smile.

 _He seems so carefree and happy. I wish I could be like that._

Pushing her thoughts asides, she attempted to retrace her steps back towards the office. With less students it was much simplier. She tentatively pushed the door open.

"Margaret?"

No answer.

Said woman was not behind her desk. She couldn't hear the twin disciplinary team either. Against her better judgement, she began walking around. Everything looked pretty normal except one door.

It was vastly taller and larger than any other door in the school. The rich color made it appear brand new. The door seemed to be beckoning here.

 _Go forth._

 _Hear me._

The same voice from before prodded her forward. Blindly, she walked closer to the door, and with glazed over eyes, she began to pull.

Time seemed to slow down as it creaked open.

"Pardon me."

A gloved hand grabbed her elbow, gently prying it off the door handle. The same person, presumably male, closed the door and guided Layla away from it. The man had slicked back white hair and yellow eyes.

"The Principal does not enjoy sudden interruptions." He said.

It was then Layla regained her senses and went about apologizing profusely, her cheeks burning in embarrassment. The man smiled down at her.

"It's quite alright. Margaret has informed me of your situation so I'm here to help."

"So you are here to help me find the dorms?"

"Something like that. Please follow me."

He held out his hand to her. She hesitantly took it, and led her down the halls.

"Before I forget, I am Theodore. But please call me Theo. I am the Principal's assistant. It's my duty to assist his guests."

She nodded.

As they traveled down the halls, many female students glared at them. It didn't faze him, but it certainly concerned her. After all, they were all centered on her.

 _Maybe they all have a thing for Theo? I mean, he is pretty handsome._ '

Her thoughts were cut short as Theo stopped walking. They arrived at the front gate, where a young girl stood patiently. Her brown hair was messily in a bun but the rest of her uniform looked perfect, ironed, and pressed. The dark blue blazer and skirt fit her small body so well that it almost could be mistaken as a dress on her.

"Miss Mayuri Ikeda."

"Yes. That's me."

She stood up straighter, smoothing out any wrinkles on her clothes.

"Miss Mayuri this is Miss Layla Mitchell. You are to escort her to her dorm."

Mayuri nodded. On cue, Theo bowed and released Layla's hand. His footsteps echoed as he went off. Mayuri looked up at Layla, then opened the door.

"Come, let us go."

Her voice sounded somewhat mature, and it surprised her. As she followed the smaller girl, they were left in a silence.

"So, Theo told me you're a second year."

"Yeah, I am."

"That means I'm your Senpai."

"What!?"

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Mayuri pouted.

 _When she makes that face, she almost looks like a kid!_

"N-no reason! I was just surprised that's all!"

Before Mayuri could retort, several high pitched shrieks distracted them.

"RIKU-SENPAI!"

A boy with bleached hair, almost exactly like Theo, came out. His blazer was rolled up to his elbows, but a neat and pristine blue tie around his neck. A throng of girls followed him, much to his displeasure. He ignored them, looking straight forward. His gaze fell on Layla momentarily, but he quickly looked away and kept going.

"Riku Eshigawa."

"Huh?"

"That boy was Riku Eshigawa. We're in the same class."

"Oh..."

Two girls watched his fleeting form for a while before continuing on their way. They passed numerous shops and buildings before they reached the dorms.

"You're in the Orpheus dorm with me."

Mayuri pointed at a large white building. It wasn't anything special, but it appeared very nice. She led Layla up the flight of stairs, and onto the second floor.

"Did Miss Margaret give you a key?"

Layla nodded and removed it from her pocket. Mayuri led her to the last room on the floor, besides the stairs.

"Here you are."

She unlocked the door and showed her in. It was an average sized room, accompanied with a bed, desk, chair, and a dresser. Her suitcases were there already.

"Thank you Mayuri."

She smiled at her.

"If you need me, I'm two doors down. Just knock."

And with that, Mayuri left her alone in the room.

 _This room is so bare._ '

Layla went about unpacking until the afternoon turned to evening. She sighed as she slumped onto her bed. After lazing around aimlessly, she removed her headband.

' _Might as well head on to bed._ '

Changing into some pajamas, she crawled into bed, pulling the covers over herself. She quickly submitted into sleep.

Two boys clad in black skulk around outside the school.

"Cho, this ain't a smart idea."

"Shut the hell up man and help me."

"But we'll definitely get caught!"

"Lower your voice!"

The two stood in a hushed silence for a few seconds before bickering once more.

"This is so dumb! I'm not going to rot in a hole because of some stupid prank. What if we get expelled!?"

"If you're such a sissy then just leave dammit!"

"Fine!"

The second man went stomping off down the street. Cho watched him stomp off, then pulled a spray cam out of bag. He aimed the nozzle at the blue walls.

He had always detested the color.

Instead of tagging the wall, he looked guiltily down the road. Deep down, he knew he didn't want to do this, but he never did anything and wanted to be daring for once.

"Come on Charlie, I'm sorry dude!"

Charlie didn't answer but his footsteps echoed in the night.

"Charlie!"

No answer.

Cho shoved the can back into the bag and started walking.

"Come on man, you-"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

A shrill scream burst from the silence.

"Charlie! CHARLIE!"

Cho frantically ran down the path he saw his friend go down. He ran street to street, calling out his name. But it was all for naught.

Charlie was long gone.

If Cho had paid more attention, he would've seen a small tear in the corner of the wall. It was illuminated with an eerie green shade.

It shined once.

Then twice.

Then flickered.

And disappeared.

Suddenly, she was awake.

Strangely, she was seated in an armchair in her uniform.

But that wasn't the strangest part.

The room she was in was unknown to her. She'd never seen such a peculiar room before. It was a dark blue room, covered in mirrors, gems, and jewelry. It shimmered and glittered as bright as the diamonds in the cases. There were two people sitting across from her.

One was a man. With a rather long nose. He was hunched over, his gloved hands held to his lips. Bloodshot eyes and white tufts of hair. He was seated behind a glass display case holding tons of jewelry in a suit.

The other was a girl about her age. She had pale skin and yellow eyes. Her strikingly long white hair was held in place with a dark blue beanie. Her hat matched her knee high, skin tight dress with a gold belt. Her hands were covered with elbow length black gloves, and her feet wore sleek black boots. She leisurely sat on the display case, holding a light blue cube in her hand.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room."

 _Huh?_

"I am Igor."

"H-hello."

"Do not be afraid. We do not wish to harm you."

"How did I get here!?"

"Do not fret. You are still asleep in your room. You are only here within your subconscious."

"Ok?"

"I invited you here to warn you. Strange things are happening within your world, and only you and your allies have the power to prevent it."

"What? What can I do!? I'm just a normal person."

"For now. You will receive your calling soon."

The information sank into Layla's mind.

 _Strange things? There's no way I of all people can do anything._

"Such phenomenons may tear the very fabric of time."

"For real!?"

Igor remained silent as Layla panicked within her mind. He seemed not to notice her distress, so he continued without a beat.

"How careless of me. This is my attendant. She will be a great asset to you." Igor says, indicating the girl.

"The name is Mercy. How do you do?" She said.

Her voice sounded somewhat playful but her face remained stoic, despite her tossing the cube up in the air every so often. Her intense eyes seemed to be staring right through her.

A loud bell rang in the bowels of the room, echoing against their silence.

"Time goes on in your world. It's time to go." Igor grinned.

"Come see us again." Mercy says.

The ringing gets louder and louder as the room shatters apart.

"GAH!"

Layla sprang up, flailing wildly. The alarm continued to quake as it rang. Her hand pushed it off the desk, stopping the annoying sound. Quickly looking around, she realized it really was a dream.

 _But it felt so real._

As she rose from bed, she felt something cold press into her arm. She glanced at her arm, her brow rising in shock.

Instead of an empty silver chain, it now had a charm.

It was three platinum triangles stacked upon one another, two on the bottom and one on top, to create a single one. It shimmered in the sunlight as she moved it around to observe it.

"What the heck!?"

 _There's no way that was a dream._

 _If it's not a dream then..._

 _what strange things are happening?_

 **There we go! I hope you all enjoyed. I had majority of the party members show up at least a little, but they'll all be revealed eventually. I didn't want to reuse a Velvet Room attendant so I created my own. However, all the previous ones hold high positions. I wonder what that means? Please tell me what you think as this is my first Persona and OC story. Have a nice day.**

 **(P.S. I have another Persona story-specifically P5- in the works. Stay tuned for that.)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Thankd so much for supporting and being overall really kind towards this story. Lets get on with the story.**

 **I don't own the Persona series.**

Layla stared aimlessly out the window. There was no use of her paying attention to class, her mind was too preoccupied.

The events of the Velvet Room replayed in her mind. Igor and Mercy had to be real. There was no way her imagination could create such abstract characters. In fact, she was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she failed to notice the bell and lunch starting.

"Hey, you ok?"

Layla blinked and looked up. There was a young man with dark hair and a gold heart shaped pendant. Instead of a typical standard blazer, he wore a dark blue hoodie and black pants.

"Lunch has started. Did you not bring something to eat?"

"Oh not at all! I do, I just was zoning out."

"Alright."

He grinned softly and patted her on the head. She gave him a weird look, and he quickly retracted his hand.

"Sorry, force of habbit."

"No it's fine."

"Yo Layla. What's up Elm? Let's eat together." Juan said as he approached the two.

As they ate, the dark boy introduced himself as Elm Argua. In fact, he sat right in front of her in class. They chattered about things, but Layla still found it difficult focus.

"Earth to Layla. Can you read me?" Juan joked, waving his hand in front of her.

"Huh? Yeah I can hear you."

"Why so distracted today?"

She couldn't tell Juan or Elm about the Velvet Room. They'd think she was insane.

"Well...um..."

"It's different from American schools, isn't it." Elm mentioned.

"Yeah, I guess I'm just trying to soak it all in."

Now that he did mention, Japanese schools were much different than her old classes in America. Instead of opening doors outwards, here the doors slid to the right. They also ate inside their classrooms instead of a normal cafeteria. It truly was the different, but still a school nonetheless.

"I forgot American schools looked different. It's been awhile since I've been in one." Juan nodded.

"Hey! Did you hear?"

"Hear what?"

All three of them turned to a loud pair of girls.

"That another student disappeared! This is the third time!"

"No way! Are you sure he isn't just skipping?"

They all tune out as their loud chatter drifted towards other topics.

"People are disappearing?" Layla asked.

"Yeah. For some reason, folks are vanishing out of the blue." Juan said.

"So it's not a rumor." Elm mumbled.

"How scary..." Layla said.

"Hey don't worry. I'll protect you. In case you didn't notice, I'm totally ripped." Juan grins

He extravagantly flexes his arms and poses until they all break down in laughter. Elm quickly composes himself then looks at Layla seriously.

"But in all seriousness, we won't let anything happen to you."

She smiles and nods.

The bell rings again, signalling that lunch was over. The math teacher, Mr. Taka, swiftly started class as soon as he entered.

And for once, Layla found that she could focus on class. Too bad she didn't understand.

Class had finally ended as Layla stretched in her chair. When she left her class, everyone was buzzing about the missing students. It made her feel uneasy.

 _"Strange_ _things_ _are_ _happening within your world, and only you and your allies have the power to prevent it."_

 _'Was this the chaos that Igor warned me about?'_

A hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder.

"Ahh!"

"Woah! It's just me Layla."

Juan walked from behind her, followed by Elm.

"Getting a little shaky from all the talk?"

She nodded meekly.

"Just like Elm said earlier, you don't have to worry."

"I know but-"

"You know what, let's hang out."

"What?"

"You, me, and Elm here are gonna show you around town. That way you're not so scared."

"Smart idea." Elm nodded.

Juan grinned and bowed.

"Why thank you sir!"

Elm rolled his eyes but grinned anyway.

"So how 'bout it Layla?"

"Yeah, it sounds like fun! Let's go tomorrow, it'll be the weekend then."

The two stared at her blankly for a moment.

"You know we still go to school on Saturday right?" Elm asked.

A horrified expression grew on her face.

"NO WAY!"

"You'll get used to it. We'll just go after school."

She nodded sullenly and kept that expression as the three walked back. When Layla entered the dorm, she could already hear a loud argument.

"It's always this bitch! She's always causing trouble!"

"Excuse me! If anyone causes trouble it's you! And I'd rather be a bitch then a slut like you!"

Layla choose to leave them be.

She went straight up the stairs to her room, trying to ignore the yelling. After an hour or so, the yelling abruptly stopped.

 _'At least they finally stopped.'_

A swift but curt knock hit my door. When I opened it, a woman looking much like Margaret stood there. She had short white hair and yellow eyes, and wore a long blue dress, blue gloves, a blue attendant-like hat, black leggings and blue, knee-length boots.

"Good evening. Miss Layla Mitchell, correct?"

"Yes that's me."

"I am Elizabeth. I function as a counselor and nurse here. However, I was asked to deliver a note for you."

She presented Layla with a black envelop, similar to the invitation to the academy she received not too long ago.

"Thank you."

"Of course. You are a _special_ guest after all."

Layla looked at her in confusion, but Elizabeth took no notice to it. She bowed and left as quickly as she came, closing the door behind her.

The placed the letter on her desk and yawned. She quickly submitted to her bed and fell asleep.

 _'I'll just read it tomorrow.'_

"Welcome back."

Once again, Layla was in the glamorous and bright Velvet Room. Both Igor and Mercy remained in the same spot she'd last see them.

 _'Looks like I'm back.'_

"It seems you may soon begin your journey. I advise caution on your way." Igor said.

 _'So the disappearances are part of the chaos he spoke of.'_

"When the time is right, your power will be unleased. So bide your time and watch attentively." Mercy added.

"Before you leave, take this with you."

A silver key appeared in her hands, glowing brillantly.

"With the use of that key, you may enter this place of your own volition."

 _'Seriously? How will I find it?'_

"You must find the door yourself. But do not fret, I am sure you will be able to."

That comment did not comfort her.

"It seems you must be up soon. Return to your world." Mercy says.

The room flashes white, and it shatters apart like glass.

 _BEEP!_

 _BEEP!_

 _BEEP!_

 _BEEP!_

Her hand slaps the top of the alarm. She felt exhausted, but forced herself out of bed to get ready. Igor told her to stay attentive so that's what she'd do.

As she walked to the academy, she scanned the area. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The Velvet Academy stood as regal as ever, standing in its blue glamour. From here, not only did the school appear regal, but a pinch of mystery. It was a little unsettling.

"Excuse me, but if you don't start walking now you'll be late."

Layla blinked back into reality and realized some girl was standing in front of her. She had shaggy brown hair and strangely wore a baggy boy's uniform-which was still perfectly ironed somehow-along with gloves.

"Yeah you're right. Guess I got a little distracted."

She laughs awkwardly as the girl gave her a sympathetic smile.

"You're the transfer student right? I heard your name is Layla."

"Yeah that's me."

"I'm Arashi Endou, a second year like you except I'm in a different class."

"Nice to meet you."

The had a nice conversation as they hurried to school. Before they went separate ways, Arashi stopped her for a moment.

"Just so you know, I am a boy."

He didn't give Layla a chance to respond before walking to his class, leaving Layla standing there, bewildered. She forced herself into class and tried to think of something else.

The school day droned on as usual, and when the bell finally rang, she was filled with excitement. Both Juan and Elm walked up to her desk as she packed away her stuff.

"Ready to go?" Elm asked.

"Yep, let's go exploring."

Juan laughed at her excitement.

"You sound like a little kid." He teased.

She stuck her tongue out at him and followed the two out of class then the school. The boys led her to a station, and as soon as they came the monorail pulled in.

"A monorail?"

"Yep, pretty cool right?"

Layla nodded eagerly. The train wasn't too packed but they all still stood, clutching the railings.

"Hold on tight Layla. These things go pretty fast." Elm said.

"I'll be-WOAH!"

The train sped forward faster than she had anticipated. In fact, she would've fallen if not for Elm grabbing her quickly.

"I told you to be careful. Just hang onto me for right now."

"Ok...sorry."

"Aw! Look at you two, the perfect couple!"

The two quickly denied it, despite their flushed faces.

"Anyway, the closest city to Velvet Academy is called Venus City." Elm said, pointing out the window.

The monrail raced over the ocean, revealing a large city in the distance. It was a large city, dominated by shining metallic structures and buildungs, monorail tracks built all around and through it. It seemed like a typical city but somewhat more futuristic.

"Wow!" She said, quickly forgetting her embarrassment. She peered through the window in wonder.

"The city is broken up into 5 districts: Velvet, Wands, Ovid, Zero, and Infinity." Elm explained.

"We're getting off at Infinity, that's where all the arcades and cool stuff are." Juan grinned.

Within a few minutes, they stepped off the train into Infinity. The group went about, showing Layla the sights. There was Midnight Arcade with different games everyday, a manga shop, and several fast food restaurants.

They then travelled to the remaining districts. Zero was an industrial district with many firms and companies. It also housed the Eternal Spire-a large tower like structure in the center. Unfortunately the elevator was out and no one wanted to walk up. Ovid was more like a strip mall, containg multi-purpose stores and places to work. Layla wanted to visit Wands, but the boys objected it for some reason they didn't want to disclose. They ended up going anyway. Wands was a shady area filled with night clubs, strip clubs, bars, and who knows what else. The only good thing there was the ramen shop. The three stopped for food there once Layla declared she was feeling famished.

"This food is amazing! I've never had such delicious ramen."

"It really is. Too bad it's located in the worse part of town." Juan said, muttering the last part under his breathe.

"I needz nore BOOZE!" A man yelled.

Layla cringed at his voice. He was clearly drunk and he kept rambling.

"Ya know! *hic* The end is nears! The *hic* is near. They're gonna *hic* They're gonna *hic* rain from the sky! Har Har Har!" He shouted.

Elm frowned at the man. As did Layla. She decided to pay no mind to a mindless drunk's rambling.

"Let's get going, it's getting late." Elm said.

"Yeah, we shouldn't be in Wands this late. It gets worse at night." Juan said in agreement.

"Ok let's go." She nodded.

They paid and bid farewell to the cook as they left the shop. The streets of Wands were now somewhat empty, with the exception of shady people standing around street corners. The monorail station-as well as the train- was practically abandoned.

"Damn, it's like a ghost town." Juan said quietly.

"Yeah..."

The darkened city made her nervous. It made her feel as if something bad would occur. Elm seemed to notice her distress, and patted her on the head.

"Don't worry, we're almost back to the academy." He assured her.

And he was right. With no one getting off at the other stops, getting back was relatively easy. However, they still had to walk back to their dorms in the dark and creepy streets. A light fog had formed, making it much worse. In this weather, the Velvet Academy looked menacing and evil.

 _'Creepy.'_

They stuck closely together as they slowly walked.

 _Heed me._

Layla stopped walking.

 _Heed my call._

She turned around and began to walk into a nearby alley, ignoring both Juan and Elm's confused protests. Proceeding down the narrow alley, something glowed in the darkness. It shimmered blue light and continued to do so as Layla came closer.

"Layla! What the hell man!" Juan yelled.

He grabbed her shoulder, pulling her back. She snapped out of her trance and fell back onto her butt. She blinked, unsure of how she ended up there.

"Hey, be more careful." Elm said.

He and Juan helped Layla off the ground.

"Thanks."

It was then the boys noticed the shining blue. It penatrated the darkness, as if it were beckoning them.

"What is that?" Elm asked.

Layla shrugged and dusted dirt off her skirt. Juan grinned creepily and went closer towards the light, pulling his goggles down over his eyes.

"W-wait a second! Juan!" Elm yelled, following Juan.

Layla ran after the two but all three reached a dead end. But unlike normal dead ends, this one had a large tear-like scratch in the wall. It glowed blue vibrantly as they drew closer. Juan mumbled to himself as he observed it.

"Is this a normal wall in Japan or something?"

"No. Definitely not." Elm answered.

"This thing is amazing! It's like alien hideout or something!" Juan said, excitement evident in his voice.

"Juan. Please back away from it without touching it." Elm said slowly.

Unfortunately, Juan had already began fingering the tear's edges. He began peeling the tear open.

"Juan don't!" Layla said, rushing over to him.

Too late. The tear flipped open and began furiously sucking in. Juan being the closest was first to be pulled in, followed by Layla, Elm, and their screams. It closed firmly behind them, leaving no trace of light or human presence.

It was so dark on the inside as they tumbled through the air. It felt as if they were falling for eternity. Layla yelled out for Juan and Elm, but neither answered. Soon, the darkness began to clear and her free falling began to slow. She easily landed on a piece of land.

"What is this?"

It was like broken space. Bits and pieces of black land floated freely. It seemed to have a different sense of gravity. The air around her was the same, but the sky was eccentric and exotic abstract colors that clashed with the dark land.

"Layla!"

"Layla!"

"Guys!"

She frantically searched for them on nearby platforms, but couldn't see them.

"Where are you?" She yelled.

"Um, we're not exactly sure." Juan yelled back.

 _'They sound close but where?'_

Suddenly, she knelt down and gazed beneath the platform. She was greeted with Juan and Elm's baffled faces.

"How did you get up there!?"

"I just fell here."

"Hang on Layla, we're coming. Just stay put." Elm said.

"It's ok, I can just jump."

"WHAT!?"

Before either could stop her, she jumped off, slowly gliding towards them.

"How did you do that!?" Juan asked.

She shrugged.

"Maybe certain areas have different types of gravity?" Elm mumbled in thought.

"Maybe? Where exactly is this place?" Layla asked.

"Maybe some parallel universe?" Juan shrugged.

"We wouldn't be in this situation if Juan hadn't touched the thing." Elm sighed.

"W-what! I was just interested!"

"RRAGH!"

All three quickly fell into silence.

"RRAGH!"

"Wh-wh-what's that noise?" Juan asked.

"I-I don't know but we need to move. Now." Layla said.

The three began heading in the opposite direction of the strange growling, but it only seemed to grow louder as they continued. As they turned the corner, a black ball of sludge appeared before them.

"RRARGH!"

The sludge ball suddenly turned and faced them, stretching it's body to tower over them.

They all paled, backing away slowly only to be greeted by more of them. Simultaneously, they all burst-casting away their slimy bodies- and turned into dripping corpse-like entities. They were surrounded with no way out. Some even wore their school's uniform. One came especially close to Layla, breathing right into her face.

"S-stay away!" She shrieked.

She fell to her knees and covered her head with her arms. She felt as if she were going to throw up.

Juan glanced at Layla, then shoved one of them back. Elm quickly followed suit. The shadows groaned in response.

" **RRAGH!** "

"Elm no!"

Layla looked up once she heard Juan's yell. One shadow grabbed Elm by the neck, strangling him. Juan himself was now being held down by two. Both were obviously struggling, but the shadows were too strong.

 _You can't just sit here, can you?_

A voice rang out in her head, it's gentle tone calming her.

 _Your friends fought to protect you._

 _Will you not do the same?_

Layla nodded and began to stand.

"Layla, just run! Get out of here!" Juan begged.

The shadow swiftly kicked him, effectively shutting him up.

"I won't be scared. I'll fight too!" Layls declared.

She could feel strength building within her, growing and growing.

 _Time to stand up_ _and fight!_

"Persona!"

She held her arm out towards the sky, the chain around her wrist shattering. The broken pieces encircled her arm. They turned into gold metal- twisting around her pointer finger down to her elbow. A flurry of icy wind formed around her. It pelted the shadows, knocking them back, but caused no harm to Elm or Juan. When the wind died down slightly, Elm and Juan looked up at Layla in surprise. She smirked, her golden hair dancing in the air. Behind her stood a tall, regal woman with white hair held into a braid and a silver crown with an amethyst jewel. Her long black gown had gold intricate border designs and a silver buckle that held a blue to purple garment. Her black elbow length gloves were, silver necklace, and piercing blue eyes completed the look.

"I'll destroy every last one of them!" She yelled.

The woman nodded, holding her arm out as if to declare war.

The shadows began to stand up, growling as they rushed back at them. Juan and Elm frantically got to their feet.

"Stand back you two. Zelda and I will handle this."

They reluctantly but quickly agreed, backing out of the way.

"Zelda, Bufu!"

Zelda spun around and a diamond of ice encased one of the shadows. The shadow promptly disintegrated.

"Zelda, Bufu again! Keep it up!"

One by one, each shadow succumbed and disintegrated under the ice.

"Layla, behind you!"

The last shadow lunged at her back, but she quickly jumped back, dodging the attack.

"Holy Arrow!"

Before the shadow could even recover, Zelda pointed forward-a bow appearing in her hands. As soon as it formed, a golden arrow shot through its head-destroying it on contact.

Zelda bowed its head to Layla then disappeared. All the shadows were destroyed.

"That. Was. So. AWESOME!" Juan yelled, running up to her.

"How did you do that?!"

"Perhaps, this thing on her arm?" Elm said, looking at the strange glove-like thing on her arm.

"What was that anyway?" Elm asked.

"Persona..."

"Huh?"

Layla suddenly felt faint. Her body slumped and fell forward.

"Woah! Hey wake up!"

"Dude she's out cold!"

"-ey!"

"Lay-"

"La-"

She opened her eyes but quickly forced them into slits.

"Welcome back." Mercy says.

 _'I'm in the Velvet Room?'_

"I see you've awakened to your Persona."

 _'My Persona?'_

"A Persona is a manifestation of one's personalities — more specifically, they're described as a mask each character wears in the face of hardship." Igor explained.

 _'I guess I get it.'_

"You have the gift to wield multiple Personas, as you are of the Fool Arcana." Mercy said.

"If you wish to continue getting stronger, you must make genuine bonds."

 _'Bonds?'_

"The bonds of friendship or even love will make your Personas stronger. Or you may even create new Personas with such power."

"Next time, I will explain how to create new Personas. But you will need to come on your own." Igor grins.

"Lay-"

"-la!"

Muffled yelling permeates the room.

"It seems you are being called back to your own world. Head back and be wary of the shadows." Mercy says.

The room begins to fall apart and then shatters.

It's all dark now.

"Lay-"

"-ke up!"

 **Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Layla has finally awakened her Persona Zelda. Her Persona is based on Zelda from the Legends of Zelda franchise, but her outfit is based on a palate swap from Super Smash Bros Wii U/3DS. That's all for now. Have a nice day.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone! Thanks for all the positive reviews and great support. It's greatly appreciated. Now on with the story.**

"Layla!"

Heavy shaking forced her eyes open. Instead of the crisp blue sky, it was abstract colors blinding her. This realization made her shoot up to her feet in panic.

"OH GOD WE'RE STILL IN HERE!?"

Elm grabbed her, pulling her back down.

"Shush! Don't be so loud!" He whispered.

Layla began hyperventilating momentarily but finally calmed down, much to Elm's relief.

"Done freaking out?"

"Y-yeah..."

"Good, making to much noise could bring those things back."

"Those shadows...they were wearing the Velvet Academy uniform..." She shuddered.

"They were."

Silent ensued between the two.

"...Does that mean those students got stuck here like us?"

Elm hesitated but eventually nodded.

"Wait a second! Where's Juan?"

"Don't panic when I tell you ok?"

"Ok. I won't."

"So once you passed out, Juan and I talked about how we were going to get out of here. We eventually decided one of us would look around for an exit while the other stayed to protect you." He explained.

"You let Juan go out there without any type of protection!?" She yelled.

"Lower your voice!"

"Ok ok! But seriously why!?"

"We didn't know how long you would be out. And we can't just sit around forever."

Layla signed but nodded. She understood that they only wanted to leave this horrid place. It even made her uneasy, despite having Zelda to retaliate.

"We need to go after him." She said.

"You sure you're ok?"

"Yeah."

With a nod, the two trek up the path Juan went. There seemed to be no shadows skulking around the corners, but they remained vigilant as well as cautious. The ground was broken up in the area ahead so they had to jump across.

"How far did Juan go?" She asked.

"I'm not sure really. I hope he's ok." Elm mumbles.

"I'm sure he- What is that?" Layla frowns.

A large futuristic city was gleaming before them. Flying cars, silver streets, and video billboards populated the area.

"Do you think Juan went in there?"

Elm nodded.

"Definitely. There's no way he could've resisted it." He sighs.

Elm and Layla venture into the city. Despite its grand and architectural brillance, there was not a person in sight. However, there we tons of banners of the Nunes corporation all over every bench, building, bus, and car. A strange man appeared on every sign.

 _Nunes? Why does that sound familiar?_

 **This is news at nine! This is news at nine!** All the billboards suddenly changed from commercial advertisement to a news channel.

 **Today in the news,** **Marcus Nunes continues to lead the Nunes Corporation into greater wealth and fortune. He truly is the greatest businessman to ever live.**

"Wait! Isn't that-"

"It is... why is Juan...?"

The news reporter was indeed Juan, but...he seemed off.

 **But as usual,** **Juan Nunes fails to do anything even remotely good.** **What a failure!**

Laughter echoes around them.

 **Now- a word from our sponsor.**

 **The Nunes Corporation.**

The commercials restart again.

"Why did Juan say all that stuff?" Layla said quietly.

Elm didn't answer at first, still staring at where Juan was broadcasting.

"We need to find Juan. Now."

"Yeah, let's start looking."

The two race down the empty streets, calling out Juan's name. But no one would answer. There was no response other than the repetition of the Nunes Corporation advertisement. After a while, Layla and Elm take a short break on a nearby bench.

"Ugh, it feels like we're just walking in circles." Layla groans.

"This is a pretty complex city, not even Venus City could compete."

"Why is a city like this in here?"

"Not sure, but this place-whatever it is- is weird."

 **How kind of you to say that...**

The two jump up, looking around frantically.

"Who said that!?" Layla yells.

 **Why bother with that useless failure?**

"Useless failure?" Elm frowns.

 **He'll only screw up and slow you down.**

"That's not true! Juan isn't like that!" She yells angrily.

Manical laughter rings in their ears, almost destroying their eardrums.

 **Is that so?** **Well well well...**

 ** _I hope you're ready to die for him._**

The ground shook violently, breaking beneath their feet. A large screen bursts out of the ground. It grows arms and legs, kicking rock and debris out of it's way. It's blank screen filled with static, marking out eyes and an evil smile.

It released an eerie shrieking sound before barreling towards them.

"Elm stay back! Persona!"

Her bracelet broke and Zelda appeared before her.

"Bufu!"

Dazzling crystals of ice hit the screen but it continued its pursuit. A shock electicity shot at Zelda. Layla felt pain course through her.

"Layla!"

"It's ok... I'm fine."

"Holy Arrow!"

The arrow shot straight into the screen. The face fizzled momentarily before reforming. It growled in anger. It swiped it's arm at Zelda, smacking it to the ground. Layla grits her teeth in pain as Elm can only stand back and watch.

 _Looks like arrows are more effective at least._

"Holy Arrow!"

Zelda continues her barge of arrows, weakening the screen over time. The monster retaliates once more, but this time Zelda dodges. Her arrow penetrates, cracking the entire screen.The screen screeches in pain one last time before crippling to the ground. The static dies and the screeen goes dark.

Layla pants as Zelda disappears.

"You ok?" Elm asked, running back to her.

"Yeah...just need to get used to using a Persona."

 **This is news at 5. This is news at 5.**

The cracked television flashes to life. The Juan from before appears, looking slightly more angry than before.

 **The Nunes Corporation is steadily losing it's value. Its cause- Juan Nunes.**

"Stop saying that!" Layla yells.

"Relax." Elm said, patting her head.

 **He's such a pain in the ass, acting like he's all that when he's worse than shit!**

 **He's just a damn failure!**

His words echoed across the city. The buildings around them shake vehemently until they crumple to the ground. The once shimmering and glamourous futuristic city has been reduced to an apocalyptic wasteland. The only thing standing was a building with a large antennae on top.

"It's a news studio!" Layla said, pointing to the building.

"That must be where Juan is." Elm nods.

"Lets go."

The two made their way slowly but steadily to the studio. Along the way, shadows roamed the streets. Zelda dealt with them quickly, but it was beginning to take a toll on Layla. By the time they reached the studio, her brow was drenched in sweat.

"Finally, we made it." She panted.

"You alright?" Elm asked.

She nodded. After catching her breath, the pair made their way into the studio. Shadows roamed here as well, but they managed to sneak around and find a working elevator. They stepped in and the door slid closed.

 **I've been waiting for you**

The elevator suddenly dropped, freefalling below ground. The two screamed as they rapidly descended to the basement. Luckily, the elevator didn't smash into the ground. Layla stumbled out followed by Elm. Both were getting worn out from this while ordeal.

"Elm?" Layla called out.

Footsteps echoed in the dark room, but no one answered. Elm, sensing something was wrong, pulled Layla back a bit.

And he was right.

An irritating static sound buzzed in their ears. The footsteps shook the ground. When it stepped into the light, its' cracked screen had a distorted face.

"You again!?"

The screen smiled creepily at them. The buzzing grew louder, prompting Layla to summon Zelda. Wires illuminated with electricity stuck out of the cracks and holes from their previous battle.

"Get back Elm, I'll take this thing down again. Holy Arrow!"

Zelda fires an arrow at the screen. The shadow barely flinches and grins at Layla's confusion.

"Why didn't it-"

"Watch out!"

A wire slaps Layla to the ground, causing Layla to cry out in pain. Zelda cringes as well. The lashes continued and she screamed louder everytime. Zelda too slumped and struggled to move. Another wire grows out of the shadow, sparking with electricity. She struggled to get up but pain was coursing through her sides.

Time seemed to slow down.

Elm knew that things were beginning to take a turn for the worst. He froze on the spot. Layla was in danger but what could he do? He didn't have anything to fight with. He watched, his eyes and emotions clouded in conflict.

The screen released a high pitch frequency as it flung the wire toward Layla's crippled body. His legs seemed to move on his own.

 ** _CRACK!_**

"ELM!"

His body twisted in the air. His arm glowed faintly. She watched in horror as Elm slammed into the brick wall. Smoke billowed out after the impact. The shadow laughed at her dismay and swung at her once more.

She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the blow.

"Get him Hakumen!"

Metallic clanks and a screech filled the room. Opening her eyes slowly, she was surprised at the sight in front of her. A large cyborg samurai clad in white armor with balloon-like pants stood protectively before her. His long silver hair flung over his shoulder as he turned to her. He was faceless but his red eyes seemed not to hold any malice. A gleaming Odachi was in his palms. That most definitely made the noise.

"One more Hakumen! Cut him to bits."

He nodded, his completely white two horned helmet moving with him. He charged at the shadow, slamming it to the ground. When the dust settled, Elm was standing there unharmed.

"Elm has...a Persona too?" She mumbled.

With the shadow distracted, Elm helped Layla off the ground. His right hand was clad in a black glove, a silver gauntlet covering a good majority of it. A golden heart was fastened securely around his wrist. Hakumen used the back of his blade, shoving the shadow.

"You ok?"

"Yeah thanks."

The screen released a high pitch frequency as the impact of blows create more and more cracks upon its body. Hakumen assists Zelda back up. Both Personas stare at their wielders.

"Zelda, Holy Arrow."

"Hakumen, Cleave."

The two rushed forward, ultimately destroying the shadow once more. It fizzled into dust. Both Zelda and Hakumen disappear as their wielders pant heavily.

"Well that was quite an ordeal." Layla pants.

Elm nods and suddenly sinks to his knees.

"Are you ok?" She asks worriedly.

"Yeah...just feeling a bit drained."

He looks at his hand and then grins.

"Now I can help you fight."

"Yeah, Hakumen seems like a strong ally."

 _DING!_

The elevator doors openned, inviting them in. The two looked at each other.

"Let's go save Juan. I have a feeling he needs help too" Elm says standing up.

"Yeah."

Taking a deep breath, Layla follows Elm into the elevator. Once in, the door shuts behind them. It zoomed upwards, taking them to the roof. It dinged once more as the doors slid open. Layla screamed qt the sight before her.

"OH MY GOD!"

"JUAN!"

 **Here ya go! Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter. Elm got his Persona Hakumen and helped vanquish the shadow. Sorry if it was very battle-centric it's Persona so I guess it's expected. Stay tuned for the next chapter. Have a nice day.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys. Sorry for long wait. I will explain at the end of the chapter. Also to set straight some confusion without giving away everything, the theme of this Persona story is salvation. Just let that sink in.** **All shall be explained in due time.**

"OH MY GOD!"

"JUAN!"

Juan was being strangled by a mirror image of himself. Worse of all, both were a little too close to the roof's edge.

Both Juans turned their head to Layla and Elm.

"A little help here?" They said simultaneously.

"Don't worry Juan! I got you." Layla said running towards them.

Without a second of hesitation, she tackles the Juan who was strangling the other.

"Get your hands off him." She said angrily.

"Ow! What the hell Layla, that hurt!" He yelped.

"Oh sorry Juan! I thought-"

A sinister laugh interrupted her. The fake Juan shifted in form. A visible dark aura surrounded it and was shabbily dressed in torn clothing. What surprised Layla the most was the multiple wounds and cuts scattered across his skin. It chuckled when he saw her stares.

"What's wrong Layla? Are you surprised? This is the real me." He says in mock innocence.

 _The real Juan?_

"Shut up and get lost!" Juan yells.

Juan's protests made him laugh louder.

"Maybe it's you that should? After all, no one in the family wants you." He sneered.

Juan balls his fists by his side's and stares at the ground.

"Oh! Did I hit a nerve? You thought your little company meant anything? Ha! You're so pathetic." It laughed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Elm asked.

"You don't know? Some friends you have Juan! They don't even care."

"Shut up!"

"The only reason they kept you around was for the small profit. You ain't worth shit."

That time Juan didn't answer. He only stared at his feet. The other Juan noticed and laughed victorious.

"Know your place! You are NOTHING!"

With a final bellow, the dark aura around the fake Juan intensified, skirting up dust and wind.

"W-What's going on!?"

"Juan! Get back!"

An impulse of energy bursts from the fake Juan, pushing them all back.

"You are worthless!" It spoke.

Beneath the dark smog, something metallic floated in the air.

"Therefore, I shall take your place!"

The air cleared and before them stood a complex contraption. It's gold and silver armor had a hellish power swelling within as it glared down at them. The gears on its head gleamed as electricity sparked to life. The red center gem focused on Juan.

"I am a Shadow! Thy true self." It boomed.

Terror overtook Juan's face.

"What kind of videogame is this!?" He yelled.

"Persona!" Layla and Elm yelled.

Zelda and Hakumen appeared before them. Juan stared at them in surprise. The Shadow guffawed at their Personas. The ground rumbled as his laughter increased.

"You think you can stop me?" He mocked.

"Holy Arrow!"

"Cleave!"

The gear on its head turned, stopping on a new hole. It glowed purple and illuminated both Zelda and Hakumen. The arrow, followed by Hakumen's odachi, drew closer to him. However, he easily evaded the attacks.

"That's the best you've got!?"

"Once more Hakumen! Cleave!"

"Holy Arrow!"

Their attacks continued to miss the shadow. With another hearty laugh, the gear shifts on it's head once more.

"Now it's my turn!"

The hole flashes yellow. Electricity crackles through the ground and shocks Elm. He crashes into the ground, shaking violently. Juan screams and stumbles over to him.

"Now it's your turn!'

Another surge of electricity is released and launched at Layla. She dives backwards, barely missing the potentially devastating attack.

"Bufu!"

Ice diamonds are shot at the shadow, but he only dodges.

"How is every attack missing? Holy Arrow!" Layla says.

Zelda assaults the shadow with numerous arrows, but everyone misses the nimble shadow. Elm gets back up and sends Hakumen after the shadow as well.

"Don't you fools understand? I am stronger than you will ever understand! Isn't that right Juan?" He cackles.

Juan doesn't answer. When Layla gazes over at him, he's crouched on the ground, covering his ears, muttering to himself.

"Juan..." She mumbles.

"As long as he's useless, I am strong!" The Shadow taunts with a laugh.

"Shut up!"

His laughter ceases as he glares at her.

"What did you-"

"Who told you he was useless!? If anyone's useless here it's you! I haven't known him for long but I'll bet he's one of a kind!" She yells angrily.

"Stupid girl, look with your own eyes! Watch him grovel and beg! He's nothing!"

"No he's-" She began.

"Stop Layla. Just stop."

Juan's voice was small and wavering, as if he was struggling to speak. His eyes were focused on the ground as he spoke.

"He isn't wrong. For as long as I remember, I've been worthless. Useless. I'm nothing. I don't belong." He whimpers.

"Juan that's not true." Elm argued.

"He's right. You have a family and friends who-"

"WHAT FAMILY?! WHAT FRIENDS!?" He yelled.

Layla flinched at his angry tone.

"I have and am nothing... just a waste of space..."

The Shadow cackled loudly. The darkness around him grew and as did he.

"Layla! We have a problem!" Elm said.

Layla gritted her teeth and remained silent for a moment.

"Layla!" He called again.

 _'I will save him. I can't hesitate.'_ "Hold him off for a little. Zelda, back Hakumen up." She nods.

"Alright. Hakumen, keep him busy."

Layla took the opportunity to approach Juan. He was no longer was a crouched bug, but standing and staring at the ground. His fist were so tight they were turning white. Her hands reached for his. Her warmth spread through him. His hand relaxed and interlocked with hers.

"Layla..." He mumbled.

"Maybe you don't see it, but we all do care for you. You're not worthless or useless. You're amazing the way you are." She said.

He didn't answer her, but he tore his gaze away from the floor. His brown eyes were filled with anguish. It broke her heart to see it.

"Was there never a moment where they showed true love towards you?"

He hesitated for a moment.

"Yes. It was my 12th birthday. We were all so happy..." He nodded.

"No matter what happened in the past, happy or sad, remember you always at least one person to support you."

"Make that at least two!" Elm yells.

She giggles but nod happily.

"He's right Juan. Will you make that support three?"

He stared at her, then at his arms. His grip on her hand tightened.

"Hell yeah!" He cheers.

The Shadow chuckles and jeers at the standing Juan.

"Oh! You're standing now?"

Juan smirked at it, making it feel somewhat uneasy.

"You really think you can stand up to ME!?"

"Not just me."

Juan grins at Elm and Layla, who grin back.

"The three of us will kick your ass faster than Mario killing a Goomba!"

"Yeah!"

The Shadow grits its' teeth and roars.

"THEN I'LL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU! DIE! DIE! DIE! **DIE!** "

"Zelda!"

"Hakumen!"

The two lauched themselves at the shadow. Juan watched in wonder as they fought.

"The power of Persona..? You mean I...?" He mumbled.

"Huh? Juan, what's wrong?" Elm asked.

"Yeah. Let me help. Let me repay them." He continued.

Layla looked at him in confusion.

 _'Who is he talking to?'_

"Alright then. Persona!"

A burst of light erupts from where Juan was standing, followed by sparks of electricity.

"NO! That's impossible! I won't allow it!"

The Shadow rushes at Juan, baring its claws. Fortunately, neither Zelda nor Hakumen would allow that. The two cut him off.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

From the light emerged a man of darkened skin and black hair clad in dark robes and bronze armor. His right hand was replaced by a claw radiating with power. Juan's right hand and armor were completely overtaken by bronze with a black power icon on the palm.

Juan looked at his hand, a creepy grin forming on his face. He pulled his goggles over his face and looked at his shadow.

"Looks like I was right. I always thought I was a Tezzeret, not a Dimir."

He punched his right palm and smirks.

"Tezzeret!"

The Persona took it's claw and covered his eyes.

"Juan? You have a Persona too?" Layla asks.

"Yep. Looks like I'm not cut out for fighting, but I can help with some other stuff."

"Can you help us land a hit on that thing?" Elm adds.

"Oh boy! I can do more than just that!" He grins.

A spiral of light within Tezzeret's claw changes color momentarily then glows green. It raises its opposite hand and both Zelda and Hakumen glow green.

"Your moves weren't hitting because he lowered your accuracy. Fortunately for us, I just fixed that and increased your speed. Your welcome."

"Nice Juan! Let him have it Zelda!"

"You too Hakumen!"

Arrows and physical attacks rain down on the Shadow, but he remains standing.

The spiral changes to white as Juan stares at the shadow.

"Guys, it's super weak to elemental attacks, especially ice!"

"Ice? Ok then. Zelda, Bufu!"

"Hakumen, Kouha!"

The light damage was ok, but the ice skill was the killer. The Shadow screamed in pain and lurched to the side.

"Keep it up guys!"

The two relentlessly assaulted the shadow until it sank to the ground and began dissolving.

"Damn...it..."

The terrifying robot reverts to a dim version of Juan.

"I know you're the darkest part of my heart, but I will never sink this low ever again." Juan says, glaring down at the dark version of himself.

Shadow Juan glared back but said nothing as he disappeared into air.

"I've been saved...somehow..." He sighed.

"We've got your back dude." Elm nods, patting him on the shoulder.

"Yeah."

Juan grins then flops backward onto his back. Before, any of them could fuss he shook his head.

"I'm ok, just a little winded."

"I don't blame you." Layla nods.

Elm and Layla followed Juan's suit and collasped on the ground.

"What the hell is going on here? No, what the hell is going on in general?" Juan sighs.

"I don't even know honestly..." Elm says.

"We can discuss later. How are we gonna get out of here?" Layla adds.

"Good point."

As if it was magic, a bright green light suddenly blinded the group. When the glare died down, before them stood another tear.

Strangely, it was in midair instead of attached to a wall of some sort.

"We get out the same way we get in?" Elm asks.

"Might as well." Juan shrugs.

Just like before, Juan picked at the tear until he could peel it off. Once opened, it revealed the darkness of their world.

"Ladies first?" Juan grinned.

"Does that really apply to this situation?" Elm deadpans.

Layla laughs and jumps through anyway, followed by the guys. It's a blur as they traveled through the tear, but landed on their feet.

"This isn't-" She starts.

"Isn't this the outside of the academy?" Juan frowns.

It was. They were on the outside of the gates of Velvet Academy.

"How? We were in Wands!"

"Maybe different tears take us to different destinations?" Elm says.

Juan pulls out his phone and cringed.

"Guys, we can talk tomorrow. We are so beyond late now." He groans.

Layla pulls out her phone and almost screams in panic.

 _'2:00 am!? How is it that late!?'_

"Let's meet here tomorrow and figure things out. For now, sneak in without being caught." Elm says.

"Good luck."

The group split up and raced towards their respective dorms. Luckily for Layla, the door was unlocked. She crept up the stairs as stealthily as possible. She tip toed across the shag carpeting of her floor.

 _'So close!'_

As she reached for her door, the bathroom door swung open. A girl with wild red emerged from it.

 _'It's the girl from before!'_

The two stare at each other blankly for a few moments. Layla silently pleads for her to keep quiet, and the girl mouths 'I got you'. She slips into her room safely and sighs in relief. She jumped into her bed and fell asleep in her uniform.

It felt as if she was only sleeping for a minute before her alarm went off.

 **BEEP!**

 **BEEP!**

 **BEEP!**

 **BEEP!**

 _'SHUT UP!'_

She promptly smashes the snooze button and groans. Her hair was everywhere and she felt sleep deprived, but she still got up to prepare for the day.

And complained ever step of the way.

 _'Freaking Japanese school system. One day weekend? What kind of crap-'_

Before leaving the room, she took a glance at the mirror. She fixed her gold tresses and inspected her outfit. White t shirt with blue skirt and matching suspenders. She positioned her headband securely onto her head and pulled on her green sneakers.

She pocketed her phone and key then locked the door behind her. She made her way back to the academy gates. Elm was already there, clad in jeans, a dark blue hoodie, and black gloves.

"Nice to know you can wake up early." Elm jokes.

"Not really, but I try." She grins.

After waiting for about fifteen minutes, Juan came barreling up to them in jeans, an oversized hoodie, and the usual goggles.

"Sorry I *pant* overslept! I was *gasp* bushed after last *wheeze* night."

After Juan arrived they made their way to the Ovid district. There was a McWucks that sold breakfast. After a quick bite, they began.

"So those things we summon are called Personas. And that sucky version of me and all those walking sludge balls were Shadows." Juan says.

"Yeah, but Juan's Shadow was much stronger than the ones that we saw at first." Elm added.

"Yeah, so was that TV shadow. They were on a whole different level." Layla said.

"So my shadow and this TV thing were like boss monsters?"

"Yeah."

"It's like a real life video game. Like this one game I played last week-"

"Not the time Juan. What was with that city though? The majority of that place was like an apocalyptic wasteland." Elm says.

"I'm not sure, but it was made for Juan. Or at least to make him upset." She frowns.

"Who made it then?" Juan asks.

"Your Shadow? Who else would?" Elm wonders aloud.

"This is hurting my brain. Juan, how did you and up in there anyway?" Layla asks.

"I was wandering around, looking for an exiting while hiding from shadows. Something whispered to me and it went black. Then I woke up the roof with that shadow me."

"Sounds like you got kidnapped or something." Elm jokes.

"None of this is adding up..." Layla sighs.

"Do you think those Shadows are humans?" Juan asks suddenly.

 _'Human?'_

"You're on to something. Those Shadows were wearing our uniforms and did look sorta human-like." Elm nods.

"The missing students maybe? They all weren't wearing the uniform." She says.

"Oh god! They're all getting sucked into that weird world!" Juan yells.

Layla and Elm quickly cover his mouth as other customers stare in their direction.

"Lower your voice!" Elm hissed quickly.

"Sorry! Geez!"

The group sat in silence.

"Guys? When you got your Personas, did you feel or heard something?" Layla mumbled.

The two looked at her.

"Yeah."

"Yep."

This was news to her.

"What! What did they say!?"

Elm thought for a moment.

"I don't remember completely but he asked me if I was just going to be a bystander. Then asked if I would stand by while someone tried to protect me. I said no just in the nick of time too. Else Hakumen wouldn't have stopped me from crashing into a wall."

"Tezzeret was similar. He told me, you guys came to save my bacon and asked if I wanted to chip in. I wanted to help destroy that crappy version of me and offered me power. And I accepted the power of course."

 _'So Personas chat with us before they helps us with power...'_

"I imagine Zelda did the same with you." Elm nodded.

"Yeah."

"Do you think we'll have to go back to that Shadow Nest?" Juan asks.

Layla sighs but nods.

"I think so. I'm not sure what's going on but it seems we're the only people with the power to stop it."

"Layla's right. Once people get sucked in, if we don't get them out they become shadows." Elm agrees.

"Yeah, looks like it's up to us team." Juan grins.

He holds his fist out towards the others, a silver chain with a bronze circle charm slashed through the center hanging from it.

Elm nods and copies his actions. A silver chain with a platinum Oni mask charm.

Layla completes the fistbump by adding her own chained hand.

The team is now formed.

Igor grins to himself at his desk. Mercy grins as well and looks at her cube. Her finger taps it and it spreads out into a floating digital screen.

"It seems out guest has opened herself to new bonds. The Justice and Moon Arcanas have blossomed." She says.

"Indeed."

The screen blocks back into a cube and falls into her palm.

"Our guest is now welcomed to use our services. I hope she uses it well." Mercy grins.

Within a Wands alleyway, a dark blue door forms along the wall.

"Teach her well Mercy. The world depends on it." Igor says.

"Of course Master."

They Velvet Room key shimmered brightly on Layla's desk.

It was a stark contrast to the black letter underneath.

 _It seems someone forgot to open my letter..._

 _Do not take me lightly Layla._

 _I pull the strings here._

 **I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I apologize with the prolonged update. For those of you who don't read my Persona 5: A Female's View story, I have a disease that hinders my health greatly. I've had said disease since I was in middle school, but recently new symptoms have shown up and it either means it's getting worse or the medication is deteriorating my body. I've been in and out of the doctor and hospitals for testing and etc. Again sorry but I hope you have a nice day.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello everyone. I'm happy everyone is enjoying the story so far. Let's continue on.**

Ovid was a very active place. Layla smiled as she watched people move to and fro from store to store. It was a nice change of pace to that world.

It's hard to believe that such strange phenomenons occured, but her aching body told her otherwise. Plus, both Elm and Juan were key witnesses.

"Maybe I should head home?"

She rose to her feet, and headed off to the station. Her conpanions had already left, having prior engagements. She was passing by several shops when a pair of dark blue glasses clattered before her toes.

As she bent over to pick them up, her head collided with something hard.

"Ow!"

"That hurt..."

She looked up and saw a head of unkempt black hair and light brown skin. The boy looked up, squinting his brown eyes at her.

"Sorry, I didn't see you." Layla said, standing.

The boy struggled off the ground, dusting off his black hoodie then his dark jeans. Once standing, it was then Layla realized how short he was.

' _He's kinda cute._ '

She didn't realize she was staring until the boy cleared his throat.

"Ex-excuse me, but you have my glasses..."

He tried to reach for them, but his arm only flailed around. His eyesight seemed to be horrendous without his glasses.

"Oh right. Here."

She took his hand but he quickly recoiled. A bewildered look crossed her face, but she shook it off.

' _Maybe he doesn't like being touched?_ '

He held out a shaky hand and she dropped them in.

"Thank you."

They were quickly placed on his face, and he promptly left soon after. The poor girl was even more confused now. He had left so quickly that she didn't even have time to inquire about his name.

"Oh well..." She shrugged.

She made her way to the monorail, and boarded once she did. This time she got on early enough to catch a seat. Ad she stared out the window, her eyelids began to grow heavy.

 _Follow me..._

 _Heed my call._

Her eyes were hazy and she struggled to see her surroundings. The world seemed to shift and swirl around her, but she could still feel the monorail traveling over the tracks. Eventually, the monorail did stop and she managed to stumble off.

No one seemed to acknowledge her tottering around like a drunk. Layla attempted to call out but even her throat felt screwed up.

It was some time before her the fog in her eyes cleared. She was standing around in some alley. There was no one around.

Except for a glowing blue glass door.

She reached for the door, but it did not budge.

 _'Huh?'_

Layla struggled and heaved in vain to open the door. It stubbornly remained closer, much to her annoyance. For some reason it reminded her of the Velvet Room. A little annoyed with herself, she exited the alley. Somehow she ended up in Wands.

That boy she crashed into might have scrambled her mind.

 _'I'll go to the nurse tomorrow._ _Better safe than sorry.'_

She promptly headed back to her dorm, and locked herself in her room. Layla sighed and flopped onto her bed. She had literally only been at the academy for less than a week and things were already strange. She spent the rest of her day studying then went to sleep.

It wasn't long until her alarm woke her up Monday morning.

"Ugh..."

Her hand grabbed the clock and chucked it across the room. It clattered across her desk, taking her book down with it. Worse of all, the ringing didn't cease. Layla dragged herself out of bed and finally hit the snooze button.

A sigh escaped her throat as she began to pick up her stuff.

 _'Textbook... textbook... notebook... key... pen... eraser...'_

Layla froze suddenly. She looked back to the objects she had just picked up, and gazed at the shiny key.

She had no recollection of owning such a thing, yet she felt a certain attachment to it. Her hand grabbed it and shoved it into her bag.

"I better start getting ready."

History class was boring. All they ever did was talk about history. As much as she wanted to pay attention, she was beyond lost.

In other words, she was a lost cause.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed in her pocket.

 **Juan: I'm bored.**

 **Layla: Shouldn't you be paying attention?**

 **Juan: Puh-lease! You aren't either.**

 **Layla: ...True** **. But that's not the point!**

 **Juan: LOL**

"Miss Layla, are you listening?"

Layla instictively straightened her back, and refocused on the face of her teacher, Mr. Misiki.

"O-of course sir!"

"Then perhaps you can answer this question."

Layla hesitated. She absolutely no idea of what was going on. She plastered a grin on her face and shifted her gaze at the blackboard. It was as blank as her mind.

"Um...1492?"

Stifiled laughter burst around the room. Mr. Misiki only sighed and shook his head.

"That's incorrect. Japan was founded in the Jumon Period, approximately 660 BC."

"Of course it is."

"Remember this class. This **will** be part of the exams."

 _'EXAMS!?'_

Fear could not even describe how Layla felt at the moment. She was left in a period of shock until lunch rolled around.

"You seriously forgot about exams?" Juan gasps in mock innocence.

"Shut up. You and I both know I had no clue."

Layla swatted the back of Juan's head. He only responded with sticking out his tongue.

"There's no need to panic Layla. Exams aren't for a while." Elm said.

This calmed her down for a moment.

"WAIT! How long is a while?"

The boys sweatdropped and chuckled at their friend's panic. They eventually did get her to calm down, allowing the rest of their lunch and day to go on. Once class ended, Layla made her way to the Nurse's office. After yesterday's strange events, she wanted to ensure she was ok.

"Excuse me?" She called, slidding the door open.

Behind the desk was the woman from earlier that week, Elizabeth.

"Yes? How can I assist you Ms. Layla?"

"Um... I wanted to come see if something was wrong with me?"

Elizabeth blinked at her.

"Please have a seat."

She obeyed and flopped onto the bed. Once seaten, Elizabeth stared at her intensely.

"Um...?"

Swear dripped down her forehead. It was a little unsettling to see someone else staring at her from a distance, but up close was all the more strange.

"Elizabeth?" She said.

"Yes?"

The white haired woman didn't appear fazed at all.

"Aren't you supposed to examine me or something?"

Elizabeth tilted her head to the side.

"Yes. That's what I'm doing."

It took all of Layla's willpower not to facepalm at her statement. Instead, she retold the strange occurance that had happened to her. Elizabeth listened carefully and had even written down some notes.

"Ah I see. I've seen a case like this before."

"Really?"

"Yes. It was a boy not too long ago. He was a second year like you but he went to a school in the city."

"Wow."

A sad smile formed on her face, but she turned away before Layla could ask her about it. She absent mindedly walked around the office.

"I recommend unlocking it."

"Unlocking it?"

"Yes. Find a key and unlock it."

"But what ke-"

She abruptly stopped, finally remembering the strange key. She jumped off the bed and made her way to the door.

"Thanks Elizabeth!"

As she bolted out the door, a hard body smacked into her nose.

"Ow..." She groaned.

"I should be the one to say that..."

When Layla ran into the person, she had managed to stay on her feet. The other person was sprawled across the ground.

"Oh sorry Mayuri-senpai!"

She pulled her up off the ground. Mayuri dusted herself off and sighed.

"It's alright but be more cautious of your surroundings."

"Alright! See you later!" Layla said as she took off running.

"DON'T RUN IN THE- she can't hear me."

Mayuri shakes her head, but giggles at Layla's antics.

Layla didn't stop running until she reached the monorail. Once she boarded, she allowed herself to breath. The people around her gave the girl strange looks but she chose to ignore it.

Once the doors openned at the Wands, she made a sprint towards the alley. It took her a couple minutes to remember which one, but eventually she spotted the shimmering blue hue.

Anxiously, she stepped up to the door. After fishing around her bag, the key was pulled out of her bag. She pushed the key through the hole. It turned itself with a satisfying click.

The door swung open inwards and she took a step inside. The door slammed shut behind her. Looking around, it was an empty blue shaded room.

Suddenly, glass shards flew all around her. Instinctively, she shut her eyes and covered her face.

"Welcome back, my guest."

Gingerly, Layla lowered her eyes. Before her stood Igor and Mercy.

"You've discovered your path to this world within your own." Igor bellowed.

"Congrats. It took longer than expected but you made it in the end." Mercy smirked.

"Was it you that made me feel all dizzy yesterday?"

"Perhaps." The man said.

Layla sighed and shook her head.

 _'These two...'_

"You may use this pathway if you are in need of our services." Mercy said.

"Services?"

"Mercy will assist you with this in the future."

She nodded obediently and turned to face Layla.

"Tomorrow, you and your allies will meet Mercy. You will understand from there." He said.

"Do not forget." Mercy instructed.

"Wait, what!?"

The two stare at her.

"I mean we won't forget." She quickly said.

"Very good. That is all for today." Igor said.

With nothing else to say, she left. Bright light flashed her eyes, and once they died down she was once again in the dark alley of Wands. Layla glanced up at the sky and was surprised to see it was still day. Not much time had passed during her conversation.

"Well looks like I've got some time to look around."

She strolled out of the alley and made her way down the street. Watching her go was a boy with bleached hair, grey hoodie, and white cargo shorts. His black combat boots crushing a discarded soda can. He narrowed his sulfur colored eyes at her retreating form.

He had seen her standing in the alley, staring at the wall. It was strange. Her eyes had been glazed over, but her mouth was moving as if she was talking. When she had finally awoken from her trance, she didn't notice his presence.

He recognized her face. She was that girl from before. He had seen her briefly with that short girl from his class a little while ago.

"Interesting..."

He'd have to keep an eye on her.

Layla stepped of the train at Ovid and ventured towards the strip mall. She wasn't sure what she was looking for but it doesn't hurt to see the different stores.

Looking around, there was a lot of Velvet Academy students in the area. Most were with groups of friends or romantic couples. However, there was one lone person standing outside a store, staring through the glass window.

Curious, she walked closer to him. The boy was staring into Griffin's Games. Now closer, Layla realized it was the boy with the glasses from last time.

"Hi there." She said.

The boy jumped slightly. He glanced at her then back at the window display.

"Hi..."

"So what are you doing?"

He doesn't respond for a moment.

"...Looking for a new game."

"Oh you play video games? They're a ton of fun!"

That comment seemed to please him. He shifted his glance to her and nodded.

"Y-yeah they are."

The conversation died there, leaving the two in an awkward silence. He coughed into his hand. Summoning his remaining courage, his cheeks burned slightly.

"Um... I... I wanted to say thanks, again, for giving me back my glasses."

She smiled at him.

"It's no problem. It probably would've sucked if you lost your glasses in such a busy place."

He nodded and stood in silence.

 _'Seriously? Another awkward silence?"_

She cleared her throat, and leaned towards him.

"So my name's Layla. What's yours?" She asked.

The boy took a step back.

"... It's Rio. Rio Hernandez." He said, pushing back his glasses.

"Rio huh?" She mumbled to herself.

"I should go..." Rio said quietly.

"Ah ok. See you at school."

Rio nodded and left. Layla couldn't help but chuckle at him. He was pretty shy and awkward, but he seemed nice overall. As mulled over her thoughts, someone tugged on sweater. Besides her stood a little girl with black hair in a braid, decorated with flowers.

"Hey Miss, are you in high school?" the girl asked.

Layla gave the girl a confused look, but nodded nonetheless. The girl beamed and clapped her hands happily.

"Yay. If you could, next time you're free can you help me?"

"Um sure. Help with what?" Layla asked.

"I'm Cana. I'll explain everything next time. I'll be waiting across the street."

With that, Cana ran across the street and into a flower shop. She waved at Layla, then closed the door behind her. Poor Layla stood there, attempting to comprehend what just happened. She shook her head and decided to return to the dorm.

Dropping her books on the floor, she flopped into her desk chair. With exams in the impending future, studying seemed wise.

For an hour, the only noise within her room was the turning of pages and pen lead scribbling across paper.

Then she flopped into bed and promptly fell asleep.

It was finally time for lunch.

"Thank god it's break! I was dying." Layla said, pulling out her sandwich.

"You know it would'nt kill you to stay awake during lessons." Elm said, shaking his head.

"Are you kidding me!? That lesson was the dictionary definition of torture!" Juan frowned.

They talked and laughed as they ate.

"Oh before I forget- meet me afterschool by the gates."

The guys looked at her curiously.

"Why?" Elm asked.

"Does it have to do with _that_ place?" Juan said.

The bell rang and students began milling back to their seats.

"I'll explain later."

Her vague words didn't satisfy them, but it seemed they had no choice but to be patient. Class droned on as slow as usual. Layla could feel herself descending into a dead sleep.

Luckily, class concluded before she was caught.

She began packing her stuff away into her bag. Once done, she met up with Elm and Juan. The group walked together towards the exit.

"So what's the answer to your cliffhanger?" Juan asked.

"Well, you see-"

Once they stepped outside the school, they noticed a relatively large group around the gates.

"What's with the crowd?" Elm frowned.

Layla shrugged and stepped on the tips of her toes, catching a glimpse of a dark blue beanie and pale colored hair.

 _'Seriously... Please tell me it's another person...'_

Her pleads did not come true. Pushing through the crowd, there in the center was Mercy herself. She paid no mind to the crowd as she spun her cube on her finger by its one edge, sitting casually on a bench.

"Woah..." Juan said, gaping at Mercy.

She locked eyes Layla and stood. The crowd seemed to part as she came closer.

"Dude! She's coming towards us! Act natural!" Juan whispered.

He leaned against the wall and gazed off into the distance. Elm shook his head at him. Mercy stopped in front of Layla, never once breaking eye contact.

"Shall we go my guest?" She said with a slight bow.

Layla nodded and motioned for the two to follow. As they left, the crowd diminished until there was no more. From the school windows, Mrs. Haruka, along with a few teachers, stared down at the scene.

"What the?"

"So Layla, how did you know..." Elm started.

Layla sweated a bit.

She had a feeling they'd ask that. She hadn't thought of an excuse yet, and there was no way she could tell them about the Velvet Room. Juan was still distracted by Mercy, but Elm stared at her with a questioning look in his eyes.

"Well you see-"

"We are here."

Mercy cut Layla off, much to her relief. They had stopped and now faced a similar location.

"The monorail?"

Mercy nodded.

"This will take us where we wish to go."

"The monorail can go to that world?" Juan asked.

"Indeed. Watch closely."

The group followed the girl into the last car of the monorail. Since it was the last one, many people didn't like it due to it being the last to pull up to the station. When they boarded, no one was present.

"You should be able to see it here, my esteemed guest."

"See it?" Juan asked.

He looked around the car then turned back to Mercy.

"See what?"

Layla looked around slowly.

 _'Nothing looks out of the ordinary... wait.'_

Her gaze suddenly stopped on the door. The seal of the door shined brightly.

 _Come._

 _Come to me._

Layla walked forward and touched the brilliantly color. Once her fingers came in contact the door opened.

What happened next was absolute chaos.

As the door opened wider and wider, it began sucking in the closest person.

That person happened to be Layla.

And naturally, she screamed.

"Layla!"

Both Elm and Juan lunged for her-pulling her as far back as they could. Mercy stood calmly as the door struggled to pull them in. She looked at them in confusion.

"Why are you fighting it? Don't you want to go?"

Finally, the door swallowed them, dropping them into the world below them. The three clung to each other for dear life as their drop grew faster and faster.

Suddenly they slowed then stopped.

"Are you three going to stand up now?"

Slowly, the three opened their eyes. They were on solid ground once again. The land was black and the sky was still strangely colored.

 _'I guess we made it.'_

"Welcome to the Shadow Nest." The pale girl said.

"It feels freakier than the last time we were here." Elm muttered.

"Yeah."

"Mercy, what was the point of bringing us here?" Layla asked.

Mercy didn't answer at first. Instead, her cube turned into a screen. With a few taps, two weapons materialized before them- a bow and an odachi. She gives the bow to Layla and the other two Elm.

"Wait, why don't I get any cool weapons!?" Juan complained.

"You do not need them." Mercy says.

Before Juan can complain, she continues to speak.

"I will wait here for your return. As will Juan."

"You're sending us out there to fight the shadows?"

"Correct. Your Personas and weapons should be suffient protection, along with support from him."

The plan didn't seem to bug Elm too much, and Juan looked happy to be alone with Mercy. It was only her who felt uneasy.

"Ok. Let's do this." Layla nodded.

Elm and Layla made their way into the nest, leaving Mercy and Juan. Eventually, they were far enough that they could no longer see them. The two slowly made their way around the floating islands and crumbling lands.

"Layla. Elm. The upcoming island has normal gravity. Be careful." Juan reported.

With Mercy's instruction, Juan was able to scan the area and guide his friends around the dangerous terrain. They had yet to stumble upon shadows. The area they've gone through were pretty clear. Elm jumped over a hole and Layla followed suit. Instead of floating a bit, they went straight down.

Once the two made it safely, they saw large black mounds around them.

 _'Shadows...'_

Layla reached for an arrow but realized there was nothing there. It took her a moment to figure out that Mercy had never provided her with arrows.

"I don't have any arrows!" She whispered.

"What!?"

Elm's grip tightened on his sword.

"I'll hit it once then we'll use our Personas."

"Ok."

With quick and light steps, he slammed one of the shadows on the head. He jumped back as it burst into little snowmen-like monsters.

"There's four enemies. I'll try to find its weakness." Juan said.

"Got it. Zelda, Bufu!"

On command, her bracelet broke and her Persona came out and a diamond of ice formed around it. Unfortunately, the attack seemed to not faze it. Elm followed suit, breaking his bracelet as well.

"Hakumen, Cleave!"

The monster was hit but it wasn't dead yet. Zelda tried Holy Arrow as well but it wasn't too effective. After a few hits, it dispersed into the air.

"Good job guys!" Juan cheered.

"Hey, how am I supposed to attack monsters without arrows?" Layla asked.

Juan remained silent for a moment before answering.

"Mercy says your Persona makes the arrows for you. Something like that."

"That doesn't make sense..." She sighed.

"Rragh!"

A shadow lunged at Layla, knocking her to the ground. Before she could recover, it had already burst, ready to fight.

"Watch out! There's five of them."

Juan's warning rang true. Five pixie monsters fluttered towards them. They attacked first, hitting Elm with some weird spell.

"Elm, you ok?!" She asked.

He didn't answer. Instead he swung his sword at her.

"Ow! What the heck man!?"

"Layla, Elm's more confused than a dizzy pokémon! He's gonna keep attacking you til he snaps out of it."

She holds her bow out in front of her. The metal clanks against Elm's odachi.

"How do we fix it?"

"I'm not sure. For now, beat the shadow as fast as you can. Once the battle ends, he'll snap out of it."

Layla nodded and tried to distance herself from her confused teammate.

"Zelda, Bufu!"

Just like before, the ice spell didn't affect these shadows. Clutching her bow, she aims at one.

 _'Ok I can do this... I can do this.'_

Taking a deep breath, she pulled back on the string. To her surprise, a bronze arrow formed, notched and ready to go. Time seemed to slowed down as the arrow was released from her hand.

The air swirled around it and the shadow exploded into nothingness once hit. A sense of power took over her body. The arrows kept coming and they didn't stop til every last one was dead.

She didn't stop when they tried to attack her or even when Elm attacked her.

Once they disappeared, a shimmering light flashed in her eyes. Before her were three colored charms- a mask , a chalice, and ivy. Instinctively, she reached for the mask. The rest disappeared, leaving the mask to float towards her. The charm burst revealing the small pixie monster. Startled, she took a step back but then came closer. She didn't think it was bad or going to attack him.

The pixie floated around her, its small wings helping it observe Layla.

"I am Pixie of the Lovers' Arcana. I would honored to assist you."

The indigo clad Persona flashed and disappeared.

Layla blinked and gazed down at her wrist.

 _'Just as I thought.'_

Besides the charm she'd aquired for Zelda sat a new one- a small silver wing. She glanced at Elm to gauge his reaction, but he didn't look interested.

Perhaps he couldn't see it.

Elm shook his head, his face completely blank. He seemed to have regained control of his mind. She walked over to him, placing her hand gently on his shoulder.

"How do you feel?"

He ran a hand through his hair.

"A bit dizzy but ok overall." He said.

"Good job guys. You're still in one piece. Keep it up." Juan said.

The two nod and go further into the nest, taking out any shadow in their way. As they went on, Layla added two more Personas, a Pyro Jack with a pumpkin charm, and Angel with a chained pair of wings charm.

Eventually, Juan helped return them back. When the two arrive Juan bounded up to them, a wicked grin evident on his face.

"Welcome back guys."

"Thanks. Anything interesting happen?" Layla asked, taking note of his grin.

"I am SO glad you asked! You see, me and Mercy have this thing going on." He says with a wink.

Layla casted a glance at Mercy, but she stood off away from the group. She had a smirk on her face but she always did everytime Layla saw her.

"What? You and Mercy were going at it while we fought for our lives?" Elm joked.

"I was fighting for love Elm. For love!"

Elm couldn't help but sigh at him.

"Ahahaha...right..." Layla said.

"Ahem."

Mercy cleared her throat.

"Are we leaving now?" She asked.

"Not yet." Elm said.

Layla and Juan sent him questioning looks but his gaze focused on Mercy.

"What was the point of this? Why did you bring us back here? Surely it's something more than just defeating shadows."

Mercy closed her eyes in thought.

"You wish to know why. Correct?"

He nodded.

"Very well. It is the duty of Shadow Hunters to ensure the world does not fall into a state of chaos."

 _'Shadow hunters?'_

"You have the power and now you must use this power for the sake of saving humanity."

 **Finally! Sorry about the SUPER long delay. I had finished this chapter earlier but it got deleted. I got frustrated and worked on the P5 story instead. So I sped wrote this so I apologize for the delay. I have absolutely NO intention of ditching this story. Thanks for reading and have a nice day.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Thanks for the support with this story, it's highly appreciated. On with the story.**

"Layla... can't we...take a break?"

"Juan, why are you acting like you're out of breath? You aren't even fighting!" She countered.

"I think I'll side with Juan this time..." Elm sighed.

It had been a solid week since Mercy had shown the team the entrance to the Nest, and Layla made them come everyday so far.

Originally, Layla had been uneasy about the idea of being a Shadow Hunter. But as each day passed, she began to love it. It was like her own being yearned to destroy the shadows without restraint.

Unfortunately, Elm and Juan didn't feel the same way.

"Come on let's go a bit further!" She pleaded.

"Dude! We're exhausted!" Juan yelled.

She sighed and spotted a relatively large white mound. Her grip on her bow tightened as she raced towards it.

"Just one more!" She grinned.

"Hold on a sec!"

With no other choice, Elm ran into battle as Layla's arrow hit its target. Layla prepared herself, ready for another easy fight.

The mound exploded into three large shadows clad in white samurai armor, wielding katanas.

"Woah..." She whispered.

"Let's get this over with..." Elm sighed.

"Zelda, Bufu!"

"Hakumen, Kouha!"

Ice and light hit one of the shadows, but it barely flinched. It stood tall and proudly, gazing down at them. Each of the three pointed their blade into the air, increasing their attack damage.

"This shadow is stronger than normal..." Juan said.

"Juan, do you see any weaknesses?" Elm asked.

"Nada."

"Damn it. Hakumen, Cleave!"

Elm's Persona rushed forward to attack, but it simply sidestepped, effectively dodging it. Layla too tried to attack it, launching her arrows at them.

They dodged those as well.

As the fight droned on, the struggle to stay alive became more desperate. These shadows constantly evaded their attacks, and even if they were hit, it barely did any damage.

"This isn't... good.." Layla panted.

The three samurai shadows still stood as the pair struggled to stand.

"Guys, you have to retreat! Run!"

"On it." Elm nodded.

"Seriously? Ok... let's go." She sighed.

Despite the grave situation they were in, she wanted to keep fighting. She was sure if they kept it up for a bit longer, they'd destroy them.

"Wait! Let's fight just a bit longer."

"What!?" Both boys yelled.

"We can beat these things! We just have to try harder."

"Try harder my ass! There's no way you guys can beat this thing." Juan argued.

She ignored his comment.

"Zelda, Bufu!"

Ice assaulted one of the shadows.

"Elm, get her out of there."

"I'll try."

He grabbed Layla's upper arm and began to drag her away from the battle.

"Hey!"

"Let's go."

"Watch out!"

The pair barely dodge the shadow's blade. During the struggle to get Layla, their enemies had them completely surrounded.

"Damn this is looking bad..." Elm mutters.

"There's no way to escape them now. You guys are trapped in a cave without an escape rope!" Juan said.

"Don't worry Juan, we got this." Layla grinned.

The boys didn't feel as confident as their female friend. And after switching to all her Personas and finding no weaknesses, she too began to feel uneasy. Her Personas were growing weak and Elm looked exhausted.

"Juan... you've got to get us out of here..." Elm panted.

"Trying... Just hang on a few more moments."

"We don't have a few more moments!" He said.

"Elm watch out! Keep your guard up." Layla yelled.

Elm followed orders and blocked the hit.

 _'This fight is getting out of hand...'_ Layla thought.

The hulking shadow raised its sword above her. She tried blocking it, but was too slow. The sword made contact with her body and she flew back. Her back slammed into the ground and she struggled to catch her breath.

"Layla!"

Her head swam as one of the shadows loomed over her. Her mind screamed to move but it refused. Once again, the gleaming sword was raised into the air.

"Hakumen, Cleave!"

Elm's Persona raced forward and hit the shadow. It turned away from Layla and rushed at Elm. Hakumen began fighting with the one shadow, forgetting about the other two. Together, the two began attacking Elm.

"Ahh!"

"Elm!"

Elm and his weapon clattered to the ground. Hakumen shattered then disappeared into the stale air.

"Oh crap, Elm's down! We need a Phoenix Down stat!"

"Just focus on getting us out of here!"

Her legs shook beneath her as the shadows set their eyes on her. Her instincts told her to run but there was no way she could leave Elm behind.

She began readying her bow but one slashed at her. Unfortunately, it caught her arm. The bow clattered to the ground and Layla clutched her left arm.

Before she had time to call Zelda, the shadows attacked once more. They knocked her around and slashed at her. She skidded back against Elm's downed body.

"...Juan?"

Her heart pumped furiously as the three drew closer to them. Her body froze up and refused to move.

"Emergency exit!"

Green light shimmered in the air and surrounded them. It flashed three time and enveloped them in a ball. Before they knew it, they had returned to Juan's position.

No one moved for a moment. Elm's cough brought them back to life.

"Oh god! He's on his last life!" Juan said.

"Stop panicking! I can... I can heal him!" Layla yelled.

"Then stop yelling at me and heal the man!"

"You two done yelling yet?"

Elm sat up slowly, rubbing his head.

"Elm!"

Both Layla and Juan launched themselves at him, pulling the poor boy into a tight hug.

"Guys, air. I kinda need it."

They quickly detached themselves from him. He groaned in relief then patiently looked at his female friend.

"I could use some heals Lay."

"Oh right."

She held out her shaky arm and waited for it to burst.

She waited.

And waited.

And waited.

But nothing.

"Huh?"

She casted a glance at her still solid bracelet. Waving her arm back and forth, she called for Pixie.

No answer.

Trying again, she called for Angel.

No response.

Now yelling, she called for Zelda, furiously swinging her arm back and forth.

No dice.

"Huh?"

The boys watched Layla swing her arm around in confusion.

"What's wrong?" Elm asked.

"My Personas! They aren't coming out!"

"What!?"

For the next five minutes, she furiously tried and failed to summon any of her Personas or anything that would come out. Eventually, she gave up and the group headed home. They sat patiently in the monorail until they returned to the real world.

"Elm, how are you feeling?" Layla asked suddenly.

The brown haired boy stretched slightly.

"Not too bad. Could be worse."

She remained silent after that.

The train stopped and the group parted ways. Once she reached her dorm, she tried studying before bed but her mind was all over the place.

Whenever she closed her eyes, all she could imagine was Elm getting destroyed by those shadows. And whenever they were open, her eye landed on her bracelet, reminding her of her failure to summon her Personas.

"Damn it..." She groaned.

She slammed her books shut and fell into bed.

 _'No point in studying if I can't focus'_

"Ahhh!"

"Help!"

Layla bolted up. Her hands felt around for her desk lamp, but there nothing. She looked down and she was no longer in her bed.

Instead it was pure black.

"No. Nonononono!" She muttered.

 _'How? How did I get here?'_

She didn't have an answer, but another scream shook her back into reality.

Without thinking, she ran towards the screams. The closer she got, the more red stains appeared beneath her feet.

Her body wanted to turn back and run. Run far away as fast as possible. But she kept walking.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her ankle.

"L-Layla... help..."

It took all of her not to scream. When she looked down, it was a deformed person. Half a person and half a shadow. It was so bad that she couldn't recognize who it was.

Taking a deep breath, she shook it off her and kept walking. It continued to call for her but more screams echoed in the distance. Times like these truly made the Nest more frightening than usual.

 _'Wait, I know that voice. Those screams are...'_

Her pace quickened and she trekked recklessly over the strange terrain. Unsurprisingly, shadows roamed. What did surprise her was Elm fighting them himself.

Without Hakumen.

The shadows would overwhelm him at this rate.

"Hold on Elm, I'm coming!" Layla called.

She ran close to him and called for Zelda. But just like before, nothing happened.

 _'No not now...'_

Elm called out for Layla again, as now he was struggling to avoid their attacks. She didn't even have her bow.

"Hang on Elm. Juan to the rescue!"

Her fear grew at the sound of his voice. Juan came barreling down the path without any form of protection or weaponry. Despite her cries for him not to come any closer, Juan ran straight at the shadows. His small fists were like flies buzzing around their ears.

One literally slapped Juan to the ground then proceeded to step on him. He let out a painful scream as red liquid gushed from his lips.

Another picked up a struggling Elm, one hand on his neck, the other around his ankles.

His screams grew as the shadow slowly began bending his back further and further.

"STOP!" Layla shrieked.

Her screams didn't change anything.

A large crack echoed in the air and blood dripped then poured to the ground, staining the dark ground red.

That was all she needed to heave up everything in her stomach. She felt sick and stared down at the mess under her.

 _They're going to suffer because of you._

 _You're useless._

She couldn't move.

She couldn't summon Zelda or any other Persona.

What can she do?

"Urk!"

The shadow's hand wrapped around her throat and lifted her off the ground. Her fists beat against its rough skin and her feet flailed wildly, but it only ignored her struggle.

 _And now..._

 _you too shall PERISH!_

Her screams echoed in her room, but no one came. Her heart thundered against her chest as she panted.

"It was just a dream... Yeah, just a dream."

No matter how many times she repeated it, her mind just wouldn't believe it.

Deep down, she knew the truth.

She just didn't want to admit it.

 ** _Later that day..._**

"Something's wrong with Layla." Juan muttered.

"You think?" Elm asked, raising his brow.

Juan and Elm watched their friend move around the classroom. She was beginning to become very popular within the class and even the school.

Yet, something was amiss.

She had apologized furiously after the Nest incident, and of course they forgave her. But the accident probably traumatized her. Layla had begun to spend less and less time with them, and more around others. She wasn't flat out ignoring them, but their time as a group was slowly getting shorter and shorter.

"Hey guys!" Layla said, walking up to them.

"Hey." The two replied.

Their idle chatter was interupted by her phone buzzing. Her eyes scanned the text quickly.

"Sorry guys, I gotta run."

"Run where?" Juan asked suspiciously.

"Gotta go work. Bye!"

She left promptly before either of the two could stop her.

"It could just be that she's busy." Elm said.

Juan didn't look convinced. In fact, he looked more concerned than before. Suddenly, a wicked grin spread across his face. Elm paled slightly.

"What are you up to?" Elm asked.

"You'll see soon enough... Now come on!"

 _A few hours later..._

Although Elm was originally against trailing their friend, by nightfall he was proud of Juan's idea.

Layla was _very_ social afterschool.

First, she worked at some flower shop and talked with some young girl with flowers in her hair. Then, she conversed with some guy standing in front of a video game store. And now, some woman smoking in front of an alley.

"Hi Mrs. Haruka." She said with a smile.

The woman scowl and then sighed, smoke billowing out of her lips.

"Layla, I told you not to address me as your teacher if you see me outside of school."

"Oh right. Sorry Mrs- I mean Rena."

"That's better. Now what do you want?"

Layla shrugged and another sigh escaped the lips of the older woman.

"You shouldn't smoke, it's not good for you." Layla said, pointing at the cig.

"Does it matter? Whether or not I smoke, life ends for everyone at one point or another."

The two went on, conversing about some strange topic. Eventually, Layla left and went on her way towards her dorm, blissfully unaware that she was being tailed.

"Weird. It's like she has a life outside of school." Juan muttered.

The two were currently hiding behind a dumpster, waiting for Mrs. Haruka to leave.

"Most people do, but I will admit I didn't expect this." Elm nodded.

"Shh! Look, she's leaving!" Juan whispered.

He was correct. The woman dropped her cigarette, crushing it with her foot against the pavement. Her deep sigh echoed in their ears as she left the dark alley.

Slowly, the two emerged from their hiding spot once they were sure she was gone.

"Never knew Mrs. Haruka was a wannabe badass." Juan grinned.

"Don't say that in front of her else you're done for." Elm groaned.

Despite following Layla, they still hadn't learned anything other than she was friendly with just about everyone. The sky was pretty dark by now, and the two began their walk towards the dorms.

"You really think Layla is trying to hide something?" Elm asked suddenly.

Juan shrugged.

"It's either that or she's scared or something."

"What if she just likes socializing and meeting new people?" Elm countered.

Juan dramatically put his finger on Elm's lips.

"Hush, don't say another word."

Elm gave him a look and the finger moved away from his face.

"We should talk to her about this." Juan said.

"What? And let her know we were practically stalking her all day?"

"We can say we were concerned."

"Concerned about her social life?"

"No!... About her mental life!"

Eventually, the two reluctantly agreed to talk to Layla the next day in class about her afterschool "activites". Although, Elm told Juan to do most of the talking since it was his idea.

Unfortunately, they failed to do so.

As soon as anyone entered the doors of the Velvet Academy, all they could hear was the excitement or dejection of students. There was an exclusive party and it was by invite only apparently. In fact, there was a large crowd forming around someone in the corridors before class.

"Aaron is really popular, isn't he?" Layla said with a grin.

She had just entered the room, walking towards Elm and Juan.

Juan raised his brow.

"You know him?"

She nodded.

"Yeah. He's a pretty cool guy."

"So cool that ge invited you to his shin-dig?" Juan joked.

"Yep."

The two stared at the extravagant invitation in her hand, lined with fancy white writing and equally glamourous shiny decals. It was hard to believe invitations of this caliber still existed, but here they are, staring at it with their own eyes.

"Woah. I can't believe you were invited to a third year's party." Elm said, looking up at her.

"Does it really matter what grade he's in? A party's a party." She shrugged.

Juan gasps dramatically.

"Look Elm. Our Layla had fled the land of peasants to join the higher ups. It hurts my heart." He said, hand on his heart.

Layla chuckled but rolled her eyes.

"I'm not going alone and since when is anyone here a peasant?"

She pushed two more invitations towards them. It took them a moment to register what was going on.

"You got us INVITATIONS!?"

Layla laughed and nodded.

"I wouldn't want to go without my closest friends."

As much as both Elm and Juan wanted to discuss with their female friend about her late night endevours, she looked much too cheerful to bring up such a topic. In the end, they decided not to.

"It's on Saturday night, so let's all go."

"Ok, I'm cool with that."

"Same here. I better get my suit and tie out."

She laughed and the group spoke to one another til class started. The rest of the day passed by uneventfully. Finally, the last class ended and school had come to a close that Thursday afternoon. Layla left the Academy and proceeded down the road. She stopped when she noticed Elm standing there, staring at the sky.

"Elm?" She asked.

"Oh hey Layla."

He turned to her curiously.

"What's up?"

"Nothing really. I just saw you standing here and decided to say hi."

"Sometimes looking up at the sky relaxes me. Makes me feel calm." He said with a smile.

The two faced the sky, clouds drifting across the blue background of the sky.

 _'This really is relaxing...'_

"It's nice huh?"

She nodded happily.

"Helps me think too."

"Think about what?"

Elm shook his head and sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Maybe we can talk about that another time. See you later."

Elm waved and patted her head briefly before making his way down the sidewalk. Layla frowned to herself.

 _'What was that about?'_

 **Social Link** **Justice Arcana Rank Up!**

She blinked in confusion.

 _'What the hell was that?'_

She deducted this was another one of Igor and Mercy's things and made her way to Wands for an explanation. She counted the alleyways as she walked, finally stopping in the fourth one, and opened the door.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room. How may we assist you?" Mercy said.

The brilliantly shimmering room was as bright and gorgeous as ever.

"Explain to me what this social link is."

Igor chuckled and Mercy followed suit.

"I'm surprised it's taken you this long to rank up one. Have you not friends at all?" Mercy said coyly.

Before Layla could retort, Igor stepped in.

"Now now Mercy. We wouldn't want our esteemed guest to make superficial bonds."

"Of course Master."

"Social links are a bond made with another person. Getting to know others is the key to strengthening yourPersonas." Igor explained.

 _'What? Strengthening my Personas?'_

"People in your world have troubles of their own, and opening their hearts is the key to success." He continued.

Mercy tossed her cube up in the air, causing it to expand into a screen.

"Here are the social links you've encountered. There are more you have yet to discover."

One the screen, there were a few pictures. Elm was there with the word 'Justice' atop his photo. Iris, the flower girl from the flower shop, was there as well with 'The Wheel of Fortune' over her image. Mrs. Haruka had 'Death' and Aaron 'The Chariot'. Rio and Juan were both shown, but they had question marks above them. Perhaps she hasn't grown close enough to them yet?

The screen shrank back into a cube and dropped into Mercy's palm.

"Grow and strengthen your bonds my guest. Do you require any other assistance?"

Layla was about to respond no, but then remembered her problem earlier She had yet to tell Igor or Mercy about the events that occured the last time she went to the Nest. Gingerly, she reported her failure to them.

"Worry not. Mistakes and failure build potential and strengthen." Igor chuckled.

"A Persona being unable to be summoned by its host?" The girl asked.

Layla nodded.

"Perhaps your heart is not strong enough. Be warned my guest, lose your heart and your Persona may be too difficult for you to handle."

Layla left soon after that, lost in thought.

 _'My heart isn't strong enough? What does that mean?'_

She sighed a bit. She was always confused whenever she left the Velvet Room. Travelling to Ovid, her first thought was maybe to work at the flower shop again. Iris was a pleasant little girl. That was her initial intention, but once she got there the sign was flipped over to closed.

"Oh man..."

"Oh Layla, it's you."

Layla turned and smiled at the boy behind her. Rio smiled back shyly, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"What's up?"

"Just looking around..." He mumbled.

"Oh. Find any cool video games?"

He shook his head.

"Actually... I was just trying to figure something out."

Layla raised her brow.

"This kid in my class invited me to a party but... That's not really in my comfort zone."

"Oh you mean Aaron's party? You got invited too?!" She asked with a grin.

He nodded slowly.

"Oh you should totally go! We could hang out and have tons of fun!"

Layla continued to ramble on, leaving Rio to think. If he went, he could hang out with Layla and maybe try socializing with his classmates. However, he wasn't really into crowds.

Or people.

"So will you come?"

Rio blinked, coming back to reality. Layla's vibrant smile was the first thing he saw and before he knew it, he responded yes.

"Great! This is gonna be so much fun!"

Rio's face flushed at her excitement. He could only nod to agree.

"Then I guess I'll see you there. See you later!"

Layla left almost as fast as she came. Rio groaned once she left. He **really** wished he had declined in the first place. He could just not come, but he didn't want to upset her.

"I'm doomed..."

Friday and Saturday flew by as everyone awaited the upcoming party. Finally, Saturday classes came to a close. The time had finally come.

"What do you wear to an upperclassmen party?" Juan asked.

"Does it really matter? Just don't go in your pajamas." Elm joked.

Layla giggled and waved good bye as she departed to her dorm and the guys did the same.

By the time the party was about to start, the sky had grown dark and night reigned over day. Her keys were securely in her red handbag. She smoothened her baby blue skirt and inspected her white top, making sure it wasn't stained. Her silver earrings were made visible as she pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail. Her black thigh high socks weren't wrinkled and her green low tops looked good as ever.

She was ready.

"Now to just sneak out."

The dorm leader was asleep but she still had to be careful. Last thing she needed was a punishment so early in her academy career. Quietly, she left out the front door, leaving it unlocked for later, and bolted into the night. The monorail was brimming with other students sneaking out as well. She went along with the crowd, stepping out once they reached Zero.

Turns out Aaron didn't live in the dorms, but in the industrial district with his parents.

The party was inside one of the towering glass buildings. The inside was sleek with exquiste carpeting. The man at the front desk directed her to the elevator, along with the vast group of students.

"Woah..."

The view of the city was magnificant from so high up.

 _DING!_

The doors slid open and everyone left the small car, which promptly descended again once everyone was out.

Layla looked around in awe. It was like a penthouse suite in New York. The area was lavishly furnished and party lights flashed on and off. The DJ was stationed nearby and waiters were moving to and fro with plates of food or drinks.

"Pretty cool huh?"

"A real sight for sore eyes!"

Layla grinned at the source of the voices. Looks like Elm and Juan had finally arrived.

"This is the fanciest party I've been to." She grinned.

"It better be."

She turned to a slightly taller guy with bright blue eyes and shaggy shoulder length light brown hair.

"Ah hey Aaron!"

"Enjoying yourself?"

He takes her hand in his, kissing it softly. Normally, this would shock someone, but Layla was already aware of Aaron's strange tendencies.

"I just got here, but I'm sure it'll be great."

"Good. I better go and see how everyone else is doing."

He saunters off, his black sneakers squeaking with every step. Once he leaves the three go head first into the scene. Dancing and eating, the shouts of enjoyment and blare of music ringing in their ears.

As the night goes on Layla keeps her eye out for Rio. She finally finds him some time later, standing off to the side by himself.

"Rio!"

His head jerks at the sound of his name.

"Sorry, did I scare you?"

"A little."

"Sorry."

Looking closer at him, she realizes he looked a bit pale and dazed.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

He nods slowly, but his hands rests on his forehead and lingers there for a bit.

 _'He looks exhausted.'_

"Hold on Rio. Let me go get you some water."

Before he can stop her, she dashes off into the crowd of people. Rio sighed and closed his eyes. His head was pounding. This really wasn't his scene.

"Why the hell did I come here?"

"Can I interest you in a drink?"

Suddenly, a aroma of alcohol filled his senses.

"I recommend the punch."

Another gut puncher of liquor.

"No...thanks."

"Perhaps beer then?"

"I said no."

Why all these servers began pushing their drinks on him, he didn't know, but he wanted it to stop. He felt like gagging at this point.

The smell was everywhere.

It's like there was no fresh air.

"I SAID NO!"

The people around him grew silent and all eyes faced him. He could feel his skin growing hot and sure enough the whispers began.

 _What's his deal?_

 _What a freak._

 _Talk about awkward._

That was all Rio could take before bolting out of the room. Someone called him but he didn't look back. The smell kept assaulting his nostrils and thoughts replayed over in his head. Once he was outside, he doubled over as bile rose up to his mouth. He puked right there, emptying anything he had in his stomach. He choked and his eyes watered as he struggled to breathe once he stopped.

"I can still smell it..."

In his mind, car tires screeched and screams followed. He covered his ears in vain, but he continued to hear.

"There's nothing here... It's in the past."

His eyes squeezed shut.

A hand reached out.

 _Follow me..._

"Rio!"

Layla ran out the building, he eyes darting side to side.

When she had gotten back to where Rio was, she was surprised to see him run out of the room. The night had grown chilly.

She was getting really worried now.

"Ew! Is that barf?!"

She had nearly stepped in it and now she was resisting the urge to barf herself.

"Maybe he went home? He did look sorta sick." She mumbled.

She dismissed her concerns and went back inside.

 _'Yeah. He probably just went back home.'_

 **There we go. Hope you enjoyed. Sorry if it felt sorta rushed but I really wanted to finish this chapter some time back. I was getting impatient. Thanks for reading and have a nice day.**


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